dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2022-42837

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-12-15
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 9.2 / 15.7.2 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges 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
An issue existed in the parsing of URLs. This issue was addressed with improved input validation. This issue is fixed in iOS 16.2 and iPadOS 16.2, macOS Ventura 13.1, iOS 15.7.2 and iPadOS 15.7.2, watchOS 9.2. A remote user may be able to cause unexpected app termination or arbitrary 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

A critical URL parsing vulnerability in Apple's core operating systems (iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS) allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service via specially crafted URLs. The issue was addressed with improved input validation.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied patches: update to iOS 16.2+/iPadOS 16.2+, macOS Ventura 13.1+, iOS 15.7.2+/iPadOS 15.7.2+, or watchOS 9.2+. For organizations, identify and update all affected Apple devices.

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
IpadosOperating system
Affected:>= 15.0, < 15.7.2>= 16.0, < 16.2
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:>= 15.0, < 15.7.2>= 16.0, < 16.2
macOSOperating system
Affected:= 13.0
WatchosOperating system
Affected:< 9.2

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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. Check iOS version on iPhone
    Go to Settings > General > About on the iPhone and note the version number (e.g., 15.7, 16.1)
    Affected if Version is 15.0 to 15.7.1 (inclusive) OR 16.0 to 16.1 (inclusive)
  2. Check iPadOS version on iPad
    Go to Settings > General > About on the iPad and note the version number
    Affected if Version is 15.0 to 15.7.1 (inclusive) OR 16.0 to 16.1 (inclusive)
  3. Check macOS version on Mac
    Open Terminal and run: sw_vers -productVersion
    Affected if Version starts with 13.0 (e.g., 13.0, 13.0.1, 13.0.2)
  4. Check watchOS version on Apple Watch
    Open the Watch app on paired iPhone, go to My Watch > General > About and note the watchOS version
    Affected if Version is below 9.2 (e.g., 9.0, 9.1, 9.1.1)
  5. Confirm URL handling is in use
    The vulnerability affects the core URL parsing component (CFURL/CFNetwork). This is always enabled as it is fundamental to all network communication, Safari, and app URL handling
    Affected if Any unpatched device meeting the version conditions above is affected regardless of configuration

You are affected if any Apple device (iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple Watch) runs an OS version within the vulnerable ranges: iOS/iPadOS 15.0-15.7.1 or 16.0-16.1, macOS 13.0.x, or watchOS below 9.2

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 9.2 / 15.7.2 / 16.2 or later
Fixed in 9.215.7.216.2
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-supplied patches: update to iOS 16.2+/iPadOS 16.2+, macOS Ventura 13.1+, iOS 15.7.2+/iPadOS 15.7.2+, or watchOS 9.2+. For organizations, identify and update all affected Apple devices.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 15.7.2 / iOS 16.2, iPadOS 15.7.2 / iPadOS 16.2, macOS Ventura 13.1, watchOS 9.2 (depending on device and current version)

  1. For iOS devices: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and upgrade to iOS 15.7.2 or iOS 16.2 (depending on your current major version)
  2. For iPadOS devices: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and upgrade to iPadOS 15.7.2 or iPadOS 16.2 (depending on your current major version)
  3. For macOS Ventura (13.0) devices: Go to System Settings > General > Software Update and upgrade to macOS Ventura 13.1
  4. For Apple Watch devices: On the iPhone companion app, go to Watch > General > Software Update and upgrade to watchOS 9.2
  5. After upgrading, verify the update was successful by checking the OS version in Settings/About
Caveat Major OS upgrades may introduce compatibility issues with older apps or configurations; review app compatibility before upgrading

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

Fix this in Ipados 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.

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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-2022-42837 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