CVE-2022-32905
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 · uneditedThis issue was addressed with improved validation of symlinks. This issue is fixed in macOS Ventura 13. Processing a maliciously crafted DMG file may lead to arbitrary code execution with system privileges.
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 confidenceA vulnerability in macOS DMG file processing allows maliciously crafted DMG files with specially constructed symlinks to bypass validation checks, leading to arbitrary code execution with system privileges.
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< 13.0CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check the installed macOS versionRun 'sw_vers -productVersion' in Terminal or go to Apple menu > About This MacAffected if The version returned is below 13.0 (for example, 12.x, 11.x, 10.x)
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Confirm DMG file handling is availableVerify that the 'hdiutil' command exists and DMG mounting functionality is present on the system (run 'which hdiutil')Affected if hdiutil is present, indicating DMG processing capability is enabled
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Check for recent DMG mount activityRun 'ls -la /Volumes' to see if any external DMG-mounted volumes are currently accessibleAffected if Any DMG files are mounted or accessible on the system
The environment is affected if the installed macOS version is anything less than 13.0, since the vulnerable DMG symlink validation flaw exists in all earlier versions.
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 · scoped13.0
Apply macOS Ventura 13 or later security updates to patch the symlink validation vulnerability; avoid opening untrusted DMG files from unknown sources.
macOS Ventura 13.0 or later
- Back up important data before upgrading
- Verify current macOS version by clicking Apple menu > About This Mac
- If running macOS versions before 13.0, download and install macOS Ventura 13.0 or later from the Mac App Store
- After installation, restart the system to complete the upgrade
- Verify the fix by checking the macOS version (Apple menu > About This Mac) shows 13.0 or later
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,120.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-32905 — 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-2022-32905 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
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