CVE-2022-46721
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 · uneditedThe issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in macOS Ventura 13. 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 · moderate confidenceA memory handling vulnerability in macOS allows a malicious application to escalate privileges and execute arbitrary code with kernel-level privileges. This is a privilege escalation issue where a user-space application can gain kernel execution, likely through improper memory management in the kernel or a kernel extension.
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.
-
Check macOS version via System SettingsOpen System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS), go to General > About, and note the version number displayed next to 'macOS'Affected if The version shown is earlier than 13.0 (for example, 12.x, 11.x, etc.)
-
Check macOS version via command lineOpen Terminal and run: sw_vers -productVersionAffected if The output shows a version number lower than 13.0 (such as 12.6.1, 12.5, 11.7, etc.)
-
Check macOS version via system_profilerOpen Terminal and run: system_profiler SPSoftwareDataType | grep 'System Version'Affected if The output displays a version earlier than macOS 13 (Ventura)
You are affected if any of the above methods reveal that your macOS installation is version 12.x or earlier (below 13.0).
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 memory handling vulnerability and prevent privilege escalation attacks.
macOS Ventura 13.0 or later
- Check the current macOS version by clicking the Apple menu and selecting About This Mac
- Back up important data using Time Machine or another backup method
- Open System Preferences (or System Settings on Ventura) and check for software updates, or download macOS Ventura 13.0 directly from the Mac App Store
- Follow the on-screen instructions to install macOS Ventura 13.0 or later
- Restart the system when prompted to complete the installation
- Verify the installation was successful by checking the macOS version in About This Mac
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,200.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-46721 — 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-2022-46721 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
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.
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