dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2022-42845

HIGH · 7.2 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-12-15
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 9.2 / 11.7.2 or later.
See remediation →
78/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable 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. An app with root privileges may be able to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges.

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 confidence

A memory handling vulnerability in Apple operating systems (iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS) allows an application running with root privileges to escalate to kernel-level privileges and execute arbitrary code. This is a local privilege escalation (LPE) vulnerability requiring the attacker to already have root-level access on the target system.

MitigationApply the available security updates (iOS 16.2/iPadOS 16.2, macOS 12.6.2/13.1/11.7.2, tvOS 16.2, watchOS 9.2) to remediate the memory handling flaw that enables kernel-level code execution.

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
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/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. Identify the operating system type
    Run 'sw_vers' on macOS, or check Settings > General > About on iOS/iPadOS/tvOS/watchOS to determine which Apple OS is running
    Affected if The device is running any of the affected Apple operating systems (iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, or watchOS)
  2. Determine the installed version number
    On macOS, run 'sw_vers -productVersion'. On iOS/iPadOS/tvOS/watchOS, go to Settings > General > About and note the version number (e.g., 13.0, 12.6.1, 11.7.1)
    Affected if The version cannot be determined or is not visible in the expected location
  3. Compare macOS version against affected ranges
    If running macOS, compare the installed version to: 11.0 through 11.7.1 (any version >= 11.0 but < 11.7.2), 12.0.0 through 12.6.1 (any version >= 12.0.0 but < 12.6.2), or exactly 13.0
    Affected if The macOS version falls within any of these ranges: >= 11.0 and < 11.7.2, or >= 12.0.0 and < 12.6.2, or equals exactly 13.0
  4. Compare iOS/iPadOS version against affected ranges
    If running iOS or iPadOS, check if the version is less than 16.2 (for example, 16.1, 16.0, 15.x, etc.)
    Affected if The iOS or iPadOS version is lower than 16.2
  5. Compare tvOS/watchOS version against affected ranges
    If running tvOS, check if version is lower than 16.2. If running watchOS, check if version is lower than 9.2
    Affected if The tvOS version is below 16.2 or the watchOS version is below 9.2
  6. Verify root-level code execution context
    This is a local privilege escalation requiring root access first. Review running processes with elevated privileges using 'ps aux' or Activity Monitor. Check for any untrusted or unexpected processes running as root
    Affected if The system has untrusted or unauthorized root-level processes running, which would be the prerequisite for exploiting this LPE vulnerability

The system is affected if it runs any of the specified Apple OS versions within the vulnerable ranges AND an attacker already has root-level access to execute the privilege escalation.

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 12.6.2/13.1/11.7.2, tvOS 16.2, watchOS 9.2) to remediate the memory handling flaw that enables kernel-level code execution.

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. For iPhone and iPad: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install iOS 16.2 or iPadOS 16.2
  2. For Mac: Go to System Settings > General > Software Update and install the appropriate update (macOS Big Sur 11.7.2, Monterey 12.6.2, or Ventura 13.1)
  3. For Apple TV: Go to Settings > System > Software Updates and install tvOS 16.2
  4. For Apple Watch: Go to the Watch app on iPhone > My Watch > General > Software Update and install watchOS 9.2
Caveat Minor - standard Apple OS updates with security fixes; review release notes for any compatibility notices

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

Fix this in Ipados Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,800
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Scan for this in your stack

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dbcve dependency scanner

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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-2022-42845 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