dbcve.org
macOSOperating system · Apple

CVE-2022-42821

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-12-15
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 11.7.2 / 12.6.2 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
A logic issue was addressed with improved checks. This issue is fixed in macOS Monterey 12.6.2, macOS Big Sur 11.7.2, macOS Ventura 13. An app may bypass Gatekeeper checks.

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 vulnerability allows a malicious application to bypass Gatekeeper checks on macOS. Gatekeeper is Apple's security mechanism that enforces code signing and verifies that applications come from identified developers. The bypass could allow untrusted or malicious apps to execute without the normal Gatekeeper warnings.

MitigationApply the security updates: macOS Monterey 12.6.2, macOS Big Sur 11.7.2, or macOS Ventura 13 (or later) to address the logic flaw in Gatekeeper verification.

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, < 11.7.2>= 12.0.0, < 12.6.2

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
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 checks

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

  1. Check your macOS version number
    Open Terminal and run: sw_vers -productVersion
    Affected if The version displayed is 11.0 to 11.7.1, or 12.0.0 to 12.6.1 (these versions fall within the vulnerable ranges)
  2. Verify the exact macOS release name
    Run: sw_vers -productName to confirm whether you are on macOS Big Sur (11.x) or macOS Monterey (12.x)
    Affected if You are running macOS Big Sur 11.x before 11.7.2, or macOS Monterey 12.x before 12.6.2
  3. Cross-check via System Information
    Open System Information (via About This Mac > System Report), then look at the Software > macOS version entry
    Affected if The reported version matches the vulnerable ranges specified in the CVE (11.0 through 11.7.1, or 12.0.0 through 12.6.1)
  4. Confirm Gatekeeper is enabled
    Run: spctl --status in Terminal. The output should show 'master enabled' if Gatekeeper is active
    Affected if Gatekeeper is enabled and your macOS version falls within the affected ranges, meaning the bypass could potentially be exploited

Your environment is affected if the installed macOS version is 11.0 to 11.7.1, or 12.0.0 to 12.6.1, regardless of Gatekeeper being enabled.

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 11.7.2 / 12.6.2 or later
Fixed in 11.7.212.6.2
Interim mitigation

Apply the security updates: macOS Monterey 12.6.2, macOS Big Sur 11.7.2, or macOS Ventura 13 (or later) to address the logic flaw in Gatekeeper verification.

Recommended fix High confidence

macOS Big Sur 11.7.2, macOS Monterey 12.6.2, or macOS Ventura 13 (depending on which major version you are currently running)

  1. Back up your Mac using Time Machine or another backup method before performing any system update
  2. Open System Preferences (macOS 12 and earlier) or System Settings (macOS 13 and later)
  3. Navigate to Software Update
  4. Click 'Check for Update' or allow automatic updates to run
  5. If an update is available, click 'Update Now' to install the appropriate patched version: macOS Big Sur 11.7.2, macOS Monterey 12.6.2, or macOS Ventura 13
  6. Restart your Mac when prompted to complete the installation
  7. After updating, verify the update was successful by checking System Preferences > Software Update

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

Fix this in macOS Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,090
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,744.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-42821 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2022-42821 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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.

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