macOSOperating system · Apple

CVE-2022-32934

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-11-01
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 11.7 / 12.6 or later.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable Zero-click

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 macOS Big Sur 11.7, macOS Ventura 13, macOS Monterey 12.6. A remote user may be able to cause kernel 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 · moderate confidence

This is a kernel-level memory handling vulnerability in macOS that could allow a remote attacker to achieve kernel code execution. The flaw involves improper memory management that was addressed with improved handling in the patched versions.

MitigationApply the security updates for macOS Big Sur 11.7, macOS Monterey 12.6, or macOS Ventura 13 and later to address the kernel memory handling flaw.

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:>= 11.0, < 11.7>= 12.0.0, < 12.6

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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/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 macOS version
    Click the Apple menu, select 'About This Mac', and note the version number displayed under the macOS name
    Affected if The version shown is 11.0 through 11.6.x, or 12.0.0 through 12.5.x
  2. Check build number via Terminal
    Run the command 'sw_vers -buildVersion' in Terminal to get the specific build number
    Affected if The build number corresponds to an unpatched release within the vulnerable version ranges
  3. Verify security update status
    Open System Settings > General > Software Update to check if the latest security updates are installed
    Affected if Software Update shows no pending updates but the base macOS version falls within the vulnerable ranges

You are affected if your macOS version is 11.0 to 11.6.x or 12.0.0 to 12.5.x and you have not applied the security updates for macOS 11.7 or 12.6 respectively.

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 11.7 / 12.6 or later
Fixed in 11.712.6
Interim mitigation

Apply the security updates for macOS Big Sur 11.7, macOS Monterey 12.6, or macOS Ventura 13 and later to address the kernel memory handling flaw.

Recommended fix High confidence

macOS 11.7 (Big Sur) or macOS 12.6 (Monterey) or macOS 13 (Ventura)

  1. Back up your Mac using Time Machine or another backup solution before proceeding with the system upgrade.
  2. Check your current macOS version by clicking the Apple menu > About This Mac.
  3. For macOS Big Sur (11.x) users: Upgrade to macOS 11.7 by opening System Preferences > Software Update, or download and install the macOS 11.7 update from Apple Support.
  4. For macOS Monterey (12.x) users: Upgrade to macOS 12.6 by opening System Preferences > Software Update, or download and install the macOS 12.6 update from Apple Support.
  5. Alternatively, upgrade to macOS Ventura 13 which also contains the fix for this vulnerability.
  6. After upgrading, verify the update was successful by checking About This Mac to confirm you are running a fixed version (11.7, 12.6, or 13+).
Caveat Standard macOS upgrade considerations apply - ensure compatibility with existing applications and back up data before upgrading

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

Fix this in macOS Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,560.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-32934 — 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 sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2022-32934 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