CVE-2022-32790 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting multiple Apple operating systems, including macOS Monterey 12.4, macOS Big Sur 11.6.6, Security Update 2022-004 Catalina, as well as tvOS 15.5, watchOS 8.6, iOS 15.5, and iPadOS 15.5. The vulnerability allows a remote attacker to cause a denial-of-service (DoS) condition on affected Apple devices without requiring any authentication or user interaction. The root cause is related to insufficient input validation or resource management, classified under CWE-400 (Uncontrolled Resource Consumption). This means that an attacker can send specially crafted network packets or requests that exploit the flaw to exhaust system resources, leading to a crash or system unavailability. The vulnerability was addressed by Apple through improved checks in the affected operating systems, mitigating the risk of resource exhaustion. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 7.5, reflecting a high severity due to the network attack vector, low attack complexity, no privileges or user interaction required, and a significant impact on availability. There are no known exploits in the wild as of the published date, but the ease of exploitation and the broad range of affected Apple OS versions make this a notable threat. The vulnerability does not impact confidentiality or integrity but can disrupt service availability, potentially affecting business continuity and user productivity on Apple devices.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2022-32790 can be significant, especially for those relying on Apple macOS and related operating systems in their IT infrastructure. The denial-of-service condition can disrupt critical business operations by causing system crashes or unresponsiveness on affected devices, leading to downtime and potential loss of productivity. Industries with high dependence on Apple hardware, such as creative sectors, software development, education, and certain government agencies, may face operational interruptions. Additionally, organizations with remote workforces using Apple devices are at risk of service disruption from remote attacks. While the vulnerability does not compromise data confidentiality or integrity, the availability impact can hinder incident response, communication, and access to essential applications. The lack of required authentication or user interaction lowers the barrier for attackers to exploit this vulnerability remotely, increasing the risk of widespread disruption if exploited at scale.

European organizations should prioritize deploying the security updates released by Apple for macOS Monterey 12.4, macOS Big Sur 11.6.6, Security Update 2022-004 Catalina, and other affected OS versions (tvOS 15.5, watchOS 8.6, iOS 15.5, iPadOS 15.5). Beyond patching, organizations should implement network-level protections such as intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDS/IPS) configured to detect anomalous traffic patterns that could indicate attempts to trigger resource exhaustion. Network segmentation can limit exposure of vulnerable Apple devices to untrusted networks. Monitoring system logs and resource usage metrics can help detect early signs of DoS attempts. For organizations with remote users, enforcing VPN access with strong filtering and rate limiting can reduce attack surface. Additionally, maintaining an asset inventory of Apple devices and ensuring timely patch management processes will help mitigate risks from this and future vulnerabilities. Incident response plans should include procedures for rapid isolation and recovery of affected systems to minimize downtime.