CVE-2022-42859 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting Apple macOS, as well as iOS, iPadOS, and watchOS platforms. The vulnerability allows an application to bypass the Privacy preferences configured by the user. Privacy preferences in Apple operating systems are designed to restrict app access to sensitive data and system features, such as location services, camera, microphone, contacts, and other personal information. By bypassing these preferences, a malicious or compromised app could gain unauthorized access to protected resources without explicit user consent. The root cause of this vulnerability was related to improper enforcement of access control policies (CWE-284) within the affected Apple OS versions. Apple addressed the issue by removing the vulnerable code paths in macOS Ventura 13.1, iOS 16.2, iPadOS 16.2, and watchOS 9.2. The vulnerability requires local access (attack vector: local) and some user interaction (UI:R), but does not require privileges or authentication (PR:N). The CVSS v3.1 base score is 5.5, indicating a medium severity level, with a high impact on confidentiality but no impact on integrity or availability. There are no known exploits in the wild at the time of publication. The vulnerability was reserved on 2022-10-11 and publicly disclosed on 2022-12-15. Since the affected versions are unspecified, it is assumed that all versions prior to the fixed releases are vulnerable. This vulnerability poses a risk primarily to users and organizations relying on Apple devices for sensitive operations, as it undermines the fundamental privacy controls intended to protect user data from unauthorized app access.

For European organizations, the ability of an app to bypass Privacy preferences on Apple devices can lead to unauthorized access to sensitive personal and corporate data, including contacts, location, camera, microphone, and other protected resources. This could result in data leakage, espionage, or privacy violations, especially in sectors handling sensitive information such as finance, healthcare, legal, and government. The confidentiality impact is significant because unauthorized apps could silently collect or exfiltrate data without user knowledge. Although the vulnerability does not affect system integrity or availability, the breach of privacy controls can undermine trust in Apple devices and complicate compliance with stringent European data protection regulations such as GDPR. Organizations with Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies or those deploying Apple devices widely are at higher risk. The requirement for local access and user interaction limits remote exploitation but does not eliminate risk from insider threats or social engineering attacks. The lack of known exploits in the wild reduces immediate risk but does not preclude future exploitation. Overall, this vulnerability could facilitate targeted attacks against European organizations that rely on Apple ecosystems, potentially leading to regulatory penalties and reputational damage.

European organizations should prioritize updating all Apple devices to the fixed versions: macOS Ventura 13.1, iOS 16.2, iPadOS 16.2, and watchOS 9.2 or later. Beyond patching, organizations should implement strict application control policies, such as using Apple’s Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions to restrict app installations to trusted sources and enforce privacy settings centrally. Conduct regular audits of installed applications and their permissions to detect any unauthorized access attempts. Educate users about the risks of granting permissions and the importance of installing updates promptly. Employ endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools capable of monitoring unusual app behavior that might indicate privacy bypass attempts. For high-security environments, consider restricting the use of personal Apple devices or enforcing containerization to separate corporate data. Additionally, monitor for any emerging exploit reports related to this vulnerability to respond quickly if active exploitation is detected.