dbcve.org
macOSOperating system · Apple

CVE-2022-42789

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-11-01
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 11.7 / 12.6 or later.
See remediation →
58/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
An issue in code signature validation was addressed with improved checks. This issue is fixed in macOS Big Sur 11.7, macOS Ventura 13, macOS Monterey 12.6. An app may be able to access user-sensitive data.

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 macOS vulnerability involved insufficient code signature validation checks. The flaw could allow a malicious or improperly signed application to bypass security controls and access sensitive user data. The fix addressed the validation logic to ensure proper code signature verification before granting app access to protected resources.

MitigationApply the macOS security updates: update to macOS Big Sur 11.7, Monterey 12.6, or Ventura 13 or later. Ensure code signing practices are reviewed for any custom macOS applications.

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, < 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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify the installed macOS version
    Run `sw_vers` or go to Apple menu > About This Mac to see the macOS version number
    Affected if The version shown is >= 11.0 and < 11.7 (Big Sur), or >= 12.0 and < 12.6 (Monterey)
  2. Confirm the exact macOS release number
    Run `system_profiler SPSoftwareDataType` or check System Preferences > Software Update for the specific build number
    Affected if The build number corresponds to an unpatched release within the vulnerable version ranges
  3. Verify if the security update was applied
    Check System Preferences > Software Update or run `softwareupdate --history` to see if the CVE-2022-42789 security update appears in the installed updates
    Affected if The security update for this CVE is NOT listed in installed updates
  4. Check code signing enforcement status
    Run `spctl --status` to see if Gatekeeper/code signing validation is enabled on the system
    Affected if Code signing validation is enabled (status shows 'enabled') and the macOS version falls within the affected ranges
  5. Review application code signing status
    Run `codesign -dv /path/to/application.app` on key applications to inspect their code signature details
    Affected if Applications show invalid or missing code signatures and the system is running a vulnerable macOS version

You are affected if your macOS version is 11.0 to 11.7.x (Big Sur) or 12.0 to 12.6.x (Monterey) AND the corresponding security update has not been installed.

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 macOS security updates: update to macOS Big Sur 11.7, Monterey 12.6, or Ventura 13 or later. Ensure code signing practices are reviewed for any custom macOS applications.

Recommended fix High confidence

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

  1. Back up important data before updating your Mac
  2. Check your current macOS version by clicking the Apple menu and selecting About This Mac
  3. If running macOS Big Sur (11.x), upgrade to macOS 11.7 through System Preferences > Software Update
  4. If running macOS Monterey (12.0-12.5), upgrade to macOS 12.6 through System Preferences > Software Update
  5. Alternatively, upgrade to macOS Ventura 13 or later which also contains the fix
  6. Restart your Mac when prompted to complete the installation
  7. Verify the update was successful by checking About This Mac
Caveat Standard macOS update risks - may require re-authentication of services and potential app compatibility issues with older apps

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

Fix this in macOS Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,420
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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-2022-42789 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