dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2022-43454

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-03-10
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 9.2 / 13.1 or later.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
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 double free issue was addressed with improved memory management. This issue is fixed in macOS Ventura 13.1, watchOS 9.2, iOS 16.2 and iPadOS 16.2, tvOS 16.2. An app 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 double free vulnerability in the kernel of multiple Apple operating systems (macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, tvOS) that allowed a malicious application to achieve arbitrary code execution with kernel-level privileges. The issue was addressed through improved memory management in version 13.1/16.2/9.2 updates.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied security updates: macOS Ventura 13.1, iOS/iPadOS 16.2, watchOS 9.2, and tvOS 16.2. Prioritize updating devices with elevated privilege access or exposure to untrusted 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
IpadosOperating system
Affected:< 16.2
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 16.2
macOSOperating system
Affected:< 13.1
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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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 macOS version
    Open System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS), go to General > About, and note the version number listed next to 'macOS'
    Affected if The version shown is below 13.1 (for example, 13.0, 12.x, 11.x)
  2. Check iOS version
    On the device, go to Settings > General > About, and note the version number next to 'iOS'
    Affected if The version shown is below 16.2 (for example, 16.1, 16.0, 15.x)
  3. Check iPadOS version
    On the iPad, go to Settings > General > About, and note the version number next to 'iPadOS'
    Affected if The version shown is below 16.2 (for example, 16.1, 16.0, 15.x)
  4. Check watchOS version
    On the Apple Watch, open the Settings app, go to General > About, and note the version. Alternatively, open the Watch app on a paired iPhone and check the watch's software version in General settings
    Affected if The version shown is below 9.2 (for example, 9.1, 9.0, 8.x)
  5. Check tvOS version
    On Apple TV, go to Settings > General > About, and note the version number
    Affected if The version shown is below 16.2 (for example, 16.1, 16.0, 15.x)

If any Apple device runs an operating system version lower than 13.1 for macOS or 16.2 for iOS/iPadOS/tvOS (or 9.2 for watchOS), the device is affected by this kernel double-free vulnerability.

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 / 13.1 / 16.2 or later
Fixed in 9.213.116.2
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-supplied security updates: macOS Ventura 13.1, iOS/iPadOS 16.2, watchOS 9.2, and tvOS 16.2. Prioritize updating devices with elevated privilege access or exposure to untrusted applications.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 16.2, iPadOS 16.2, macOS 13.1 (Ventura), tvOS 16.2, watchOS 9.2

  1. For iPhone: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install iOS 16.2 or later
  2. For iPad: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install iPadOS 16.2 or later
  3. For Mac: Go to System Settings > General > Software Update and install macOS Ventura 13.1 or later
  4. For Apple TV: Go to Settings > System > Software Updates and install tvOS 16.2 or later
  5. For Apple Watch: On the iPhone, open the Watch app, go to My Watch > General > Software Update and install watchOS 9.2 or later
Caveat Standard OS update compatibility considerations may apply; ensure backup before updating

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

Fix this in Ipados Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,220
Get the upgrade done

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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-2022-43454 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