dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2022-32932

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-11-01
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 9.1 / 15.7.1 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
The issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in iOS 15.7.1 and iPadOS 15.7.1, iOS 16.1 and iPadOS 16, watchOS 9.1. 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 · moderate confidence

A memory handling vulnerability in the Apple kernel allows a local application to escalate privileges and execute arbitrary code with kernel-level privileges. This is a privilege escalation vulnerability requiring an app to already be present on the device.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied patches by updating to iOS 15.7.1+/iOS 16.1+, iPadOS 15.7.1+/iPadOS 16+, or watchOS 9.1+ as appropriate for the affected device.

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
IpadosOperating system
Affected:< 15.7.1
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 15.7.1= 16.0
WatchosOperating system
Affected:< 9.1

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 iOS or iPadOS version on your device
    Go to Settings > General > About and look at the 'Version' field. Note the full version number displayed.
    Affected if The version is below 15.7.1, or the version is exactly 16.0.
  2. Check watchOS version if you use an Apple Watch
    Open the Watch app on your paired iPhone, go to the My Watch tab, tap General > About, and read the watchOS version.
    Affected if The watchOS version is below 9.1.
  3. Understand the attack prerequisite
    This vulnerability requires a malicious application to already be installed on the device.
    Affected if You have any applications installed from untrusted sources, sideloaded apps, or apps outside the official App Store that you did not intentionally install.
  4. Identify if you are a likely target
    This is a privilege escalation flaw. Determine if you have users or processes with elevated privileges on the device, or if sensitive data exists that would motivate targeted attacks.
    Affected if The device is used by multiple users, contains sensitive business data, or is in an environment where targeted attacks are plausible.

You are affected if your iOS/iPadOS version is below 15.7.1 or exactly 16.0, or your watchOS version is below 9.1, and you have untrusted applications installed on the device.

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 9.1 / 15.7.1 or later
Fixed in 9.115.7.1
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-supplied patches by updating to iOS 15.7.1+/iOS 16.1+, iPadOS 15.7.1+/iPadOS 16+, or watchOS 9.1+ as appropriate for the affected device.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 15.7.1 / iOS 16.1+ | iPadOS 15.7.1 / iPadOS 16.0+ | watchOS 9.1+

  1. Backup your device data before performing any system update
  2. For iPhone: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install iOS 15.7.1 or iOS 16.1 (or later)
  3. For iPad: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install iPadOS 15.7.1 or iPadOS 16.0 (or later)
  4. For Apple Watch: Go to the Watch app on iPhone > General > Software Update and install watchOS 9.1 (or later)
  5. Verify the update was successful by checking Settings > General > About to confirm the installed version
Caveat Standard iOS/iPadOS/watchOS update considerations apply - ensure backup before upgrading

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

Fix this in Ipados Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,360
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,176.

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-2022-32932 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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