dbcve.org
Iphone OsOperating system · Apple

CVE-2022-32914

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-11-01
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 9.0 / 11.7 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 use after free issue was addressed with improved memory management. This issue is fixed in macOS Big Sur 11.7, macOS Ventura 13, iOS 16, watchOS 9, macOS Monterey 12.6, tvOS 16. An app may be able to execute arbitrary code with kernel 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 confidence

A use-after-free vulnerability in the kernel allows a malicious application to potentially execute arbitrary code with kernel-level privileges, enabling privilege escalation from userland to kernel mode.

MitigationApply the available security updates: iOS 16, macOS Big Sur 11.7, macOS Monterey 12.6, macOS Ventura 13, watchOS 9, and tvOS 16.

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
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 16.0
macOSOperating system
Affected:>= 11.0, < 11.7>= 12.0.0, < 12.6
TvosOperating system
Affected:< 16.0
WatchosOperating system
Affected:< 9.0

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. Identify your Apple device and operating system
    Determine whether the device is an iPhone, Mac, Apple TV, or Apple Watch. On iOS/tvOS, go to Settings > General > About. On macOS, run `sw_vers` in Terminal or check System Settings > About. On watchOS, go to Settings > General > About.
    Affected if Device runs any of the affected Apple operating systems (iOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS)
  2. Check iOS version on iPhone or iPad
    Go to Settings > General > About > Version, or run `nsrlsdevicectl device list` if available. Note the full version number (e.g., 15.7).
    Affected if Version is earlier than 16.0 (any 15.x or earlier release)
  3. Check macOS version on Mac
    Run `sw_vers -productVersion` in Terminal, or check System Settings > About. Note the major and minor version (e.g., 12.5).
    Affected if Version is 11.0 through 11.6.x, or 12.0.0 through 12.5.x (any 11.x before 11.7, or any 12.x before 12.6)
  4. Check tvOS version on Apple TV
    Go to Settings > General > About > Version, or use the Remote app to navigate to the version information.
    Affected if Version is earlier than 16.0 (any 15.x or earlier release)
  5. Check watchOS version on Apple Watch
    On the watch, go to Settings > General > About. Or on iPhone, open the Watch app > My Watch > General > About.
    Affected if Version is earlier than 9.0 (any 8.x or earlier release)

Your environment is affected if the installed OS version falls within any of these ranges: iOS < 16.0, macOS 11.0-11.6.x or 12.0-12.5.x, tvOS < 16.0, or watchOS < 9.0.

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 9.0 / 11.7 / 12.6 or later
Fixed in 9.011.712.6
Interim mitigation

Apply the available security updates: iOS 16, macOS Big Sur 11.7, macOS Monterey 12.6, macOS Ventura 13, watchOS 9, and tvOS 16.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 16, macOS 11.7/12.6/13, watchOS 9, tvOS 16 (depending on device type and current OS)

  1. Identify the Apple device type (iPhone, Mac, Apple Watch, or Apple TV)
  2. Check the current operating system version on the device
  3. For iPhones: upgrade to iOS 16 or later
  4. For Macs running macOS Big Sur (11.x): upgrade to macOS 11.7 or later, or migrate to a newer macOS version
  5. For Macs running macOS Monterey (12.x): upgrade to macOS 12.6 or later, or migrate to macOS Ventura (13)
  6. For Macs already on macOS Ventura (13.x): upgrade to macOS 13 or later
  7. For Apple Watches: upgrade to watchOS 9 or later
  8. For Apple TVs: upgrade to tvOS 16 or later

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

Fix this in Iphone Os 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
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2022-32914 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