CVE-2022-46712
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 use after free issue was addressed with improved memory management. This issue is fixed in macOS Ventura 13. An app may be able to cause unexpected system termination or potentially execute 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 · moderate confidenceUse-after-free vulnerability in macOS that allows a malicious application to potentially execute code with kernel privileges or cause system termination. This memory management flaw was addressed in macOS Ventura 13.
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< 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
- 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check installed macOS versionClick the Apple menu in the top-left corner, select 'About This Mac', and note the version number displayed under the macOS nameAffected if version shown is below 13.0 (e.g., 12.x Monterey, 11.x Big Sur, etc.)
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Verify exact build version via TerminalOpen Terminal and run: 'sw_vers -productVersion' to get the precise version numberAffected if output shows a version lower than 13.0
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Confirm kernel patch state via system_profilerRun 'system_profiler SPSoftwareDataType' in Terminal and check the macOS version and build listed under Software > System Software OverviewAffected if System Software Version shows any version below 13.0
If the installed macOS version is anything below 13.0 (Ventura), the system is affected by this kernel-level use-after-free vulnerability.
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 · scoped13.0
Apply the macOS Ventura 13 security update or later to patch the kernel-level use-after-free vulnerability.
macOS Ventura 13.0 or later
- Back up your Mac using Time Machine or another backup solution before upgrading
- Ensure your Mac is connected to power and has sufficient free disk space (recommended: 15GB+ free)
- Open System Preferences (or System Settings on macOS Ventura+)
- Navigate to Software Update
- Click 'Check for Update' or let the system automatically check
- If macOS Ventura 13 is available, click 'Download and Install'
- Follow the on-screen prompts and wait for the download and installation to complete
- Restart your Mac when prompted to complete the installation
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-46712 — 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-2022-46712 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