CVE-2022-22665
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2022-22665 is a privilege escalation vulnerability in macOS that allows malicious applications to gain root privileges through a logic issue. This affects macOS Monterey systems before version 12.3. Users running unpatched macOS Monterey are vulnerable to local privilege escalation attacks.
💻 Affected Systems
- macOS Monterey
📦 What is this software?
Macos by Apple
macOS is Apple's desktop and laptop operating system powering Mac computers used by millions of professionals, developers, creative professionals, and enterprise users worldwide. Built on a Unix foundation with the Darwin kernel and modern Cocoa frameworks, macOS delivers a seamless ecosystem integr...
Learn more about Macos →Macos by Apple
macOS is Apple's desktop and laptop operating system powering Mac computers used by millions of professionals, developers, creative professionals, and enterprise users worldwide. Built on a Unix foundation with the Darwin kernel and modern Cocoa frameworks, macOS delivers a seamless ecosystem integr...
Learn more about Macos →⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Malicious application gains full root access to the system, allowing complete compromise, data theft, persistence installation, and lateral movement.
Likely Case
Malware or compromised applications escalate privileges to install additional payloads, bypass security controls, or access protected system resources.
If Mitigated
With proper application sandboxing and least privilege principles, impact is limited to the compromised application's scope.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires a malicious application to be executed on the target system. Public disclosure includes technical details that could facilitate exploitation.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: macOS Monterey 12.3
Vendor Advisory: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213183
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open System Preferences > Software Update. 2. Install macOS Monterey 12.3 update. 3. Restart the system when prompted.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Application Restriction
allRestrict installation and execution of untrusted applications
sudo spctl --master-enable
sudo spctl --enable --label "Developer ID"
Privilege Reduction
allRun applications with reduced privileges using sandboxing
sandbox-exec -n no-network -p '(version 1) (allow default) (deny network* (remote ip))' /path/to/application
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict application allowlisting to prevent execution of untrusted applications
- Use endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to monitor for privilege escalation attempts
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check macOS version: if running macOS Monterey and version is less than 12.3, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
sw_versVerify Fix Applied:
Verify macOS version is 12.3 or later and check that security update 2022-003 is installed.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Sudden privilege escalation events in system logs
- Unexpected root process execution from user applications
- Authorization framework anomalies
Network Indicators:
- Not applicable - local privilege escalation
SIEM Query:
source="macos_system_logs" AND (event="privilege_escalation" OR process="sudo" OR user="root") AND application NOT IN (allowed_applications)🔗 References
- http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2022/May/33
- http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2022/May/35
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213183
- https://support.apple.com/kb/HT213184
- https://support.apple.com/kb/HT213185
- https://support.apple.com/kb/HT213255
- https://support.apple.com/kb/HT213256
- http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2022/May/33
- http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2022/May/35
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213183
- https://support.apple.com/kb/HT213184
- https://support.apple.com/kb/HT213185
- https://support.apple.com/kb/HT213255
- https://support.apple.com/kb/HT213256
