CVE-2022-32940
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 · uneditedThe issue was addressed with improved bounds checks. This issue is fixed in tvOS 16.1, iOS 16.1 and iPadOS 16, macOS Ventura 13, 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 · high confidenceThis is a kernel-level privilege escalation vulnerability affecting Apple devices (iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS). The issue stems from insufficient bounds checking in kernel components, allowing a malicious locally-installed application to execute arbitrary code with kernel-level 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< 16.0< 16.1< 13.0< 16.1< 9.1CVSS 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.
-
Check iOS or iPadOS versionGo to Settings > General > About and note the version number displayed (e.g., 15.7.2)Affected if The version is below 16.0 for iPadOS or below 16.1 for iOS
-
Check macOS versionClick the Apple menu > About This Mac and note the version number (e.g., 12.6)Affected if The version is below 13.0 (Ventura)
-
Check tvOS versionGo to Settings > General > About > Version on the Apple TV deviceAffected if The version is below 16.1
-
Check watchOS versionOpen the Watch app on paired iPhone, go to My Watch > General > About and note the watchOS versionAffected if The version is below 9.1
-
Confirm device is not patchedIf any of the above checks show a version below the thresholds listed, the device has not received the security fix for this CVEAffected if The installed OS version falls within the affected ranges listed in the CVE details
A device is affected if it runs iOS below 16.1, iPadOS below 16.0, macOS below 13.0, tvOS below 16.1, or watchOS below 9.1.
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 · scoped9.113.016.0
Apply vendor patches immediately by updating to iOS 16.1/iPadOS 16, macOS Ventura 13, tvOS 16.1, or watchOS 9.1 or later.
iOS 16.1, iPadOS 16, macOS Ventura 13, tvOS 16.1, watchOS 9.1
- Back up all important data before upgrading
- For iPhone: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install iOS 16.1 or later
- For iPad: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install iPadOS 16 or later
- For Mac: Go to System Settings > General > Software Update and install macOS Ventura 13 or later
- For Apple TV: Go to Settings > System > Software Updates and install tvOS 16.1 or later
- For Apple Watch: Go to Settings > General > Software Update on the paired iPhone and install watchOS 9.1 or later
- Restart the device after the update is installed
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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 locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-32940 — 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-2022-32940 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
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.
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.
- 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