dbcve.org
Mac Os XOperating system · Apple

CVE-2022-46706

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-08-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 11.6.5 / 12.3 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 type confusion issue was addressed with improved state handling. This issue is fixed in Security Update 2022-003 Catalina, macOS Monterey 12.3, macOS Big Sur 11.6.5. An application 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 type confusion vulnerability in macOS kernel allowed a local application to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges through improper state handling during object type processing. The flaw exists in the kernel's handling of certain object types where type confusion leads to memory corruption and privilege escalation.

MitigationApply the appropriate macOS security update: Security Update 2022-003 for Catalina, macOS 12.3 for Monterey, or macOS Big Sur 11.6.5 for Big Sur. This is a local privilege escalation requiring user to run a malicious application first.

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
Mac Os XOperating system
Affected:= 10.15.7
macOSOperating system
Affected:>= 11.0, < 11.6.5>= 12.0.0, < 12.3

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. Determine your installed macOS version
    Open Terminal and run: sw_vers -productVersion
    Affected if The version is 10.15.7, or between 11.0 and 11.6.5 inclusive, or between 12.0.0 and 12.3 inclusive
  2. Verify the kernel build number
    Run: uname -a to see the kernel version and build
    Affected if The build corresponds to an unpatched version in the affected ranges above
  3. Check for applied security updates
    Run: defaults read /Library/Preferences/com.apple.SoftwareUpdate.plist LastSuccessfulDate or check System Preferences > Software Update
    Affected if No security update dated after the CVE release (August 2022) has been applied
  4. Confirm kernel patch status
    Run: kmsuppress status or check /Library/Extensions for unknown kernel extensions that may indicate exploitation
    Affected if Unknown kernel extensions are present or the system shows no post-CVE patches installed

You are affected if your macOS version falls within 10.15.7, 11.0-11.6.5, or 12.0.0-12.3 and no corresponding security update (2022-003 for Catalina, 11.6.5 for Big Sur, or 12.3 for Monterey) has been applied.

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 11.6.5 / 12.3 or later
Fixed in 11.6.512.3
Interim mitigation

Apply the appropriate macOS security update: Security Update 2022-003 for Catalina, macOS 12.3 for Monterey, or macOS Big Sur 11.6.5 for Big Sur. This is a local privilege escalation requiring user to run a malicious application first.

Recommended fix High confidence

Security Update 2022-003 Catalina, macOS Big Sur 11.6.5, or macOS Monterey 12.3 (depending on current installed version)

  1. Identify the current macOS version by clicking Apple menu > About This Mac
  2. For macOS 10.15.7 (Catalina): Install Security Update 2022-003 Catalina via System Preferences > Software Update
  3. For macOS 11.0 to 11.6.4 (Big Sur): Install macOS Big Sur 11.6.5 via System Preferences > Software Update
  4. For macOS 12.0.0 to 12.2.x (Monterey): Install macOS Monterey 12.3 via System Preferences > Software Update
  5. Restart the system after applying the update
Caveat Standard macOS security updates typically have minimal breaking changes; verify critical applications are compatible before updating

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

Fix this in Mac Os X Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,120.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-46706 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2022-46706 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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