CVE-2022-48578
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 · uneditedAn out-of-bounds read was addressed with improved bounds checking. This issue is fixed in macOS Monterey 12.5. Processing an AppleScript may result in unexpected termination or disclosure of process memory.
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 confidenceA memory safety vulnerability exists in macOS AppleScript processing where insufficient bounds checking allows an out-of-bounds read. An attacker could craft malicious AppleScript to read adjacent memory contents beyond allocated buffers, potentially exposing sensitive process memory or causing unexpected application termination.
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< 12.5CVSS 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
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/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 versionOpen System Preferences > About or run 'sw_vers -productVersion' in TerminalAffected if Version is lower than 12.5 (for example, 12.4, 12.3, 11.x, 10.x)
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Confirm AppleScript processing capability existsVerify AppleScript is available by running 'osascript -e "return 1"' in TerminalAffected if Command executes without error, confirming AppleScript interpreter is present on the system
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Verify no local AppleScript security controlsCheck if AppleScript execution is restricted via System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy > Automation, or via parental controlsAffected if AppleScript has unrestricted execution permissions and the OS version is below 12.5
The environment is affected if macOS version is below 12.5 and AppleScript processing is available on the system.
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 · scoped12.5
Apply the vendor patch via macOS Monterey 12.5 or later security update to receive the improved bounds checking. Organizations should prioritize patching systems that process untrusted AppleScript content.
macOS Monterey 12.5 or later
- Check current macOS version by clicking the Apple menu and selecting About This Mac
- Back up important data using Time Machine or another backup method before updating
- Open System Preferences (or System Settings on newer macOS versions)
- Click on Software Update
- If macOS 12.5 or later is available, click Update Now to download and install the security update
- Restart the Mac when prompted to complete the installation
- Verify the update was successful by checking About This Mac to confirm the version is 12.5 or later
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,744.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-48578 — 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-2022-48578 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