dbcve.org
macOSOperating system · Apple

CVE-2022-32897

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-06-10
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 12.5 or later.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
No privileges

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
A memory corruption issue was addressed with improved validation. This issue is fixed in macOS Monterey 12.5. Processing a maliciously crafted tiff file may lead to arbitrary code execution.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

A memory corruption vulnerability in macOS Monterey allows arbitrary code execution when processing a maliciously crafted TIFF file. The issue was addressed through improved validation, indicating the vulnerability stemmed from insufficient bounds checking or input validation when parsing TIFF image data.

MitigationUpdate affected macOS systems to Monterey 12.5 or later. For systems that cannot be immediately updated, consider restricting the ability to open untrusted image files and implement endpoint detection and monitoring.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
macOSOperating system
Affected:< 12.5

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check macOS version installed
    Open Terminal and run 'sw_vers -productVersion' or go to Apple Menu > About This Mac > System Report > Software > macOS
    Affected if Version is below 12.5 (e.g., 12.4, 12.3, 12.2, etc.)
  2. Confirm CoreGraphics/ImageIO component version
    Run 'defaults read /System/Library/Frameworks/ApplicationServices.framework/Frameworks/CoreGraphics.framework/Info.plist CFBundleVersion' or check System Integrity Protection status with 'csrutil status'
    Affected if System is running an older CoreGraphics framework bundle associated with pre-12.5 macOS
  3. Identify TIFF processing capabilities
    Check if any applications that process images are installed (Preview, Safari, Mail, or third-party image viewers). Run 'mdls -name kMDItemContentTypeTree /System/Library/Extensions/IOGraphicsFamily.kext' is not applicable; instead verify ImageIO framework presence via 'ls /System/Library/Frameworks/ImageIO.framework/Versions/Current/Resources/'
    Affected if ImageIO framework is present and can parse TIFF files (default on all macOS installations)

System is affected if running macOS versions prior to 12.5 and has the ability to open or process TIFF image files through any installed application.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 12.5 or later
Fixed in 12.5
Interim mitigation

Update affected macOS systems to Monterey 12.5 or later. For systems that cannot be immediately updated, consider restricting the ability to open untrusted image files and implement endpoint detection and monitoring.

Recommended fix High confidence

macOS Monterey 12.5 or later

  1. Open System Preferences (or System Settings on newer macOS versions)
  2. Click on 'Software Update' to check for available updates
  3. If macOS 12.5 or later is available, click 'Update Now' to download and install the update
  4. Alternatively, use the Mac App Store to check for and install the macOS Monterey 12.5 update
  5. Restart the Mac after the update is installed to complete the remediation
  6. Verify the update was successful by checking System Settings > General > About > macOS version
Caveat Standard upgrade risks apply - ensure important data is backed up before updating; some legacy software may not be compatible with macOS 12.5

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in macOS Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,984.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-32897 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2022-32897 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data