CVE-2022-26763: Apple watchOS · A malicious application may be able to execute arbitrary code with system privileges
Affects Apple watchOSSource CVE Database V5
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.8 High : upgrade to 8.6 soon.
Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 06:26 UTC
- EPSS
- 3.9% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 90% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
- Patch
- Available – fixed in 8.6
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 26 May 2022
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors
A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 2026-10-26.
What to do
Upgrade Apple watchOS to 8.6.
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| Apple watchOS | Affected
| Fixed in
|
AI-suggested
Organizations should prioritize deploying the security updates released by Apple, specifically watchOS 8.6 and the corresponding updates for tvOS 15.5, iOS 15.5, iPadOS 15.5, macOS Big Sur 11.6.6, and macOS Monterey 12.4. Beyond patching, organizations should implement strict application control policies on Apple devices to restrict installation of untrusted or unsigned applications, reducing the risk of malicious apps being installed. User awareness training should emphasize the risks of installing unknown apps and the importance of verifying app sources. Endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions tailored for Apple platforms should be deployed to monitor for suspicious local activity indicative of exploitation attempts. Network segmentation can limit the impact of a compromised device. Regular audits of device compliance and patch status should be conducted. For highly sensitive environments, consider restricting the use of Apple watchOS devices or enforcing mobile device management (MDM) policies that enforce update compliance and app whitelisting. Finally, incident response plans should be updated to include scenarios involving Apple device compromise via privilege escalation vulnerabilities.
Description
An out-of-bounds access issue was addressed with improved bounds checking. This issue is fixed in tvOS 15.5, iOS 15.5 and iPadOS 15.5, Security Update 2022-004 Catalina, watchOS 8.6, macOS Big Sur 11.6.6, macOS Monterey 12.4. A malicious application may be able to execute arbitrary code with system privileges.
References
- support.apple.com/en-us/HT213255 (opens in a new tab)
- support.apple.com/en-us/HT213256 (opens in a new tab)
- support.apple.com/en-us/HT213258 (opens in a new tab)
- support.apple.com/en-us/HT213253 (opens in a new tab)
- support.apple.com/en-us/HT213254 (opens in a new tab)
- support.apple.com/en-us/HT213257 (opens in a new tab)