CVE-2022-32904
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 · uneditedAn access issue was addressed with additional sandbox restrictions. This issue is fixed in macOS Big Sur 11.7, macOS Ventura 13, macOS Monterey 12.6. An app may be able to access user-sensitive data.
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 · moderate confidenceThis macOS vulnerability involved an improper sandbox restriction that could allow a malicious application to access sensitive user data. The fix implemented additional sandbox controls to prevent unauthorized access to protected user information.
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>= 11.0, < 11.7>= 12.0, < 12.6CVSS 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
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Determine installed macOS versionOpen Terminal and run: sw_vers -productVersionAffected if The version displayed is 11.0 through 11.6, or 12.0 through 12.5 (the system is unpatched and within affected ranges)
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Check for security update presenceOpen System Settings > General > Software Update to see if updates are available, or run: defaults read /System/Library/CoreServices/CoreTypes.bundle/Contents/Resources/Exceptions.plist 2>/dev/null | head -5Affected if Security update KBXXXXXX for CVE-2022-32904 is not installed or no update is available for this system
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Verify sandbox is enabledRun: ps -p $(pgrep -f Finder) -o comm= | xargs ps aux | grep -i sandboxd to check if sandbox daemon is running, or inspect /usr/libexec/sandboxdAffected if Sandbox daemon is disabled or not running (default is enabled, so this is rare but required for exploit)
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Confirm system is not running VenturaRun: sw_vers -productVersion and verify the major version is NOT 13.xAffected if The system is running macOS 11.x or 12.x without the specific security updates applied
If the installed macOS version falls within 11.0-11.6 or 12.0-12.5 and the security update for this CVE has not been applied, the system is vulnerable to sandbox bypass allowing unauthorized access to sensitive user data.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scoped11.712.6
Apply the appropriate macOS security update (Big Sur 11.7, Monterey 12.6, or Ventura 13 depending on the installed OS version) to address the sandboxing weakness.
macOS Big Sur 11.7, macOS Monterey 12.6, or macOS Ventura 13 (depending on your starting macOS version)
- Back up your Mac using Time Machine before performing any system update
- Open System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS versions)
- Click on 'General' then 'Software Update'
- Allow macOS to check for updates
- If an update is available, click 'Update Now' or 'Upgrade Now' to install the security update
- Restart your Mac when prompted to complete the installation
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-32904 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2022-32904 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- 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