CVE-2022-46704
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 · uneditedA logic issue was addressed with improved state management. This issue is fixed in macOS Ventura 13.1, macOS Big Sur 11.7.2, macOS Monterey 12.6.2. An app may be able to modify protected parts of the file system.
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 confidenceA logic flaw in macOS state management allowed a malicious or compromised application to bypass file system protection mechanisms, enabling modification of protected directories and system files. This represents a privilege escalation/authorization bypass vulnerability in the macOS kernel or system components.
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>= 11.0, < 11.7.2>= 12.0.0, < 12.6.2= 13.0CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check installed macOS versionRun 'sw_vers -productVersion' in Terminal or go to Apple menu > About This MacAffected if Version is 11.0-11.7.1, 12.0.0-12.6.1, or exactly 13.0 (unpatched)
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Verify System Integrity Protection statusRun 'csrutil status' in Recovery mode Terminal or 'csrutil authenticated-root status' for authenticated rootAffected if SIP is disabled (vulnerability requires protection mechanisms to be in a specific state to be bypassed)
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Check for third-party security or file protection toolsReview installed security software in System Preferences > Security & Privacy > GeneralAffected if Unsigned or untrusted third-party code that manipulates system state is present
System is affected if running an unpatched macOS version (11.x before 11.7.2, 12.x before 12.6.2, or 13.0) where file system protection mechanisms can be bypassed through the state management flaw.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scoped11.7.212.6.2
Apply the macOS security updates (Ventura 13.1+, Big Sur 11.7.2+, Monterey 12.6.2+) to all affected systems. For enterprise environments, deploy via MDM or standard patch management processes.
macOS Ventura 13.1 (for macOS 13.0), macOS Monterey 12.6.2 (for macOS 12.0.0-12.6.1), or macOS Big Sur 11.7.2 (for macOS 11.0-11.7.1)
- Back up your Mac using Time Machine or another backup solution before proceeding with the update.
- Open System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS versions).
- Click on General, then click on Software Update.
- Wait for macOS to check for available updates.
- If an update is available, click Download and Install.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation. The Mac may restart multiple times.
- After installation, verify the macOS version by going to Apple menu > About This Mac.
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-46704 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2022-46704 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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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.
- 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