CVE-2022-32946
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 entitlements. This issue is fixed in iOS 16.1 and iPadOS 16. An app may be able to record audio using a pair of connected AirPods.
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 confidenceAn authorization vulnerability in iOS 16.0 and earlier allowed applications to record audio through connected AirPods without proper entitlement enforcement. The issue was remediated through improved entitlements in iOS 16.1 and iPadOS 16.1 that properly validate audio recording permissions.
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< 16.1CVSS 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
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
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 iOS version on iPhoneGo to Settings > General > About and look at the 'Software Version' fieldAffected if The version shown is earlier than 16.1 (for example, 16.0, 15.x, etc.)
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Check iPadOS version on iPadGo to Settings > General > About and look at the 'Software Version' fieldAffected if The version shown is earlier than 16.1 (for example, 16.0, 15.x, etc.)
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Verify AirPods connection statusCheck if AirPods are currently paired and connected via Bluetooth settings or the Control CenterAffected if AirPods are connected and the device iOS/iPadOS version is below 16.1, indicating the entitlement enforcement vulnerability is present
A device is affected if it runs iOS or iPadOS version 16.0 or earlier, as these versions lack the proper entitlement validation that was added in version 16.1 to prevent unauthorized audio recording through AirPods.
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 · scoped16.016.1
Update affected devices to iOS 16.1/iPadOS 16.1 or later to receive the entitlement fix. No application-level code changes are required as this is an OS-level permission enforcement issue.
iOS 16.1+ (iPhone) / iPadOS 16.0+ (iPad)
- Check the current iOS version on the iPhone or iPadOS version on the iPad by going to Settings > General > About
- Ensure all important data is backed up to iCloud or a computer before updating
- Connect the device to Wi-Fi and power
- Update by going to Settings > General > Software Update
- Download and install iOS 16.1 or later for iPhone, or iPadOS 16.0 or later for iPad
- After installation, verify the fix by checking Settings > General > About shows version 16.1 or higher (iPhone) or 16.0 or higher (iPad)
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Testing1.0 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 $1,200.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-32946 — 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-2022-32946 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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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