CVE-2022-26776

Vulnerability

CVE-2022-26776 is a memory corruption issue in macOS Monterey and macOS Big Sur. The official description indicates that the issue was addressed with improved checks, but no specific component is named in the available references. The vulnerability affects macOS Monterey prior to version 12.4 and macOS Big Sur prior to version 11.6.6 [1][2]. The patch was released on May 16, 2022.

Exploitation

An attacker would need to have the ability to run a crafted application on the target system. There is no indication of additional authentication requirements beyond standard user-level access. The exploitation sequence involves the application triggering memory corruption, leading to unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution [1]. No further technical details about the required conditions or attack vector are disclosed in the available references.

Impact

Successful exploitation could allow an attacker to cause unexpected application termination (denial of service) or arbitrary code execution with kernel privileges [1]. This means an attacker could potentially gain full control over the affected system, including the ability to install malware, modify data, or perform other malicious actions.

Mitigation

Apple has released macOS Monterey 12.4 and macOS Big Sur 11.6.6 to address this vulnerability [1][2]. Users should update their systems to the latest available versions. No workarounds are mentioned in the references. This CVE is not known to be listed on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog at the time of publication.