dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2022-42842

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-12-15
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 9.2 / 11.7.2 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
The issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in tvOS 16.2, macOS Monterey 12.6.2, macOS Ventura 13.1, macOS Big Sur 11.7.2, iOS 16.2 and iPadOS 16.2, watchOS 9.2. A remote user may be able to cause kernel 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

This is a kernel-level memory handling vulnerability in multiple Apple operating systems (iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS) that allows a remote attacker to potentially execute arbitrary code in the kernel context. The vulnerability was addressed with improved memory handling, suggesting a memory corruption issue such as a buffer overflow or use-after-free.

MitigationApply the available security updates: iOS 16.2/iPadOS 16.2, macOS Monterey 12.6.2/macOS Ventura 13.1/macOS Big Sur 11.7.2, watchOS 9.2, and tvOS 16.2. Given the critical severity and kernel-level code execution capability, prioritize patching for any affected systems exposed to untrusted network inputs.

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:< 16.2
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 16.2
macOSOperating system
Affected:>= 11.0, < 11.7.2>= 12.0.0, < 12.6.2= 13.0
TvosOperating system
Affected:< 16.2
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
    Open Settings > General > About on the iPhone device and look at the 'Version' field
    Affected if The version shown is less than 16.2 (for example, 16.1.x, 16.0.x, 15.x, etc.)
  2. Check iPadOS version on iPad
    Open Settings > General > About on the iPad device and look at the 'Version' field
    Affected if The version shown is less than 16.2 (for example, 16.1.x, 16.0.x, 15.x, etc.)
  3. Check macOS version
    Click the Apple menu > About This Mac. The version number is displayed under the macOS name (for example, 13.0, 12.6.1, 11.7.1)
    Affected if The version is 11.0 through 11.7.1, 12.0 through 12.6.1, or exactly 13.0 (not 13.1 or higher)
  4. Check watchOS version
    Open the Settings app on Apple Watch, then go to General > About and note the watchOS version; or open the Watch app on iPhone and go to My Watch > General > About
    Affected if The version is less than 9.2 (for example, 9.1.x, 9.0.x, 8.x, etc.)
  5. Check tvOS version
    Open Settings > General > About on Apple TV and note the version number
    Affected if The version is less than 16.2 (for example, 16.1.x, 16.0.x, 15.x, etc.)

A device is affected if it is running any version of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, or tvOS that falls below the patched version numbers (16.2 for iOS/iPadOS/watchOS/tvOS, 11.7.2/12.6.2/13.1 for macOS).

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 / 11.7.2 / 12.6.2 or later
Fixed in 9.211.7.212.6.2
Interim mitigation

Apply the available security updates: iOS 16.2/iPadOS 16.2, macOS Monterey 12.6.2/macOS Ventura 13.1/macOS Big Sur 11.7.2, watchOS 9.2, and tvOS 16.2. Given the critical severity and kernel-level code execution capability, prioritize patching for any affected systems exposed to untrusted network inputs.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 16.2 / iPadOS 16.2 / macOS Big Sur 11.7.2 / macOS Monterey 12.6.2 / macOS Ventura 13.1 / tvOS 16.2 / watchOS 9.2

  1. Identify the Apple device type (iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, or Apple Watch) and current operating system version via Settings > General > About or System Preferences > General > About
  2. For iPhone/iPad: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install iOS 16.2 or iPadOS 16.2
  3. For Mac: Open System Preferences > Software Update and install the appropriate update: macOS Big Sur 11.7.2, macOS Monterey 12.6.2, or macOS Ventura 13.1
  4. For Apple TV: Go to Settings > System > Software Updates and install tvOS 16.2
  5. For Apple Watch: On the iPhone, open the Watch app, go to My Watch > General > Software Update and install watchOS 9.2
  6. Verify the update was successfully installed by checking the operating system version again
Caveat Standard Apple OS updates may require device restart and have standard update risks; backup recommended before updating

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

Fix this in Ipados Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,540
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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-2022-42842 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