CVE-2022-46824 is a medium-severity vulnerability classified under CWE-120 (Buffer Overflow) affecting JetBrains IntelliJ IDEA versions prior to 2022.2.4 on macOS platforms. The vulnerability resides in the fsnotifier daemon, a component responsible for monitoring file system changes to provide real-time updates within the IDE. A buffer overflow occurs when the daemon improperly handles input data, potentially allowing an attacker to overwrite memory beyond the allocated buffer. This can lead to arbitrary code execution, denial of service, or application crashes. Exploitation requires the attacker to influence the input processed by the fsnotifier daemon, which typically monitors files and directories related to the development environment. Since this daemon runs with the privileges of the user executing IntelliJ IDEA, successful exploitation could compromise the user's environment, potentially leading to further lateral movement or data exfiltration within the compromised system. There are no known exploits in the wild as of the publication date, and no official patch links were provided in the source information, although JetBrains has released version 2022.2.4 which presumably addresses this issue. The vulnerability is specific to macOS, limiting the affected user base to developers using IntelliJ IDEA on this platform. The lack of a CVSS score necessitates an independent severity assessment based on the technical details and potential impact.

For European organizations, the impact of this vulnerability depends largely on the prevalence of IntelliJ IDEA usage on macOS within their developer teams. Organizations relying heavily on IntelliJ IDEA for software development on macOS are at risk of local compromise if an attacker can deliver malicious input to the fsnotifier daemon. This could lead to unauthorized code execution, potentially allowing attackers to implant backdoors, steal intellectual property, or disrupt development workflows. Given the role of IntelliJ IDEA in software development, exploitation could indirectly affect the integrity of software supply chains if compromised developer machines are used to build or deploy software. The impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability is significant at the endpoint level but does not directly threaten network infrastructure or production servers unless further lateral movement is achieved. The absence of known exploits reduces immediate risk, but the vulnerability remains a concern for organizations with high-value development assets or sensitive projects. The threat is more pronounced in sectors with stringent software security requirements such as finance, telecommunications, and critical infrastructure within Europe.

1. Immediate upgrade to JetBrains IntelliJ IDEA version 2022.2.4 or later on macOS to ensure the vulnerability is patched. 2. Restrict and monitor file system access permissions for development environments to limit the ability of untrusted processes or users to influence the fsnotifier daemon inputs. 3. Employ endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to monitor for anomalous behavior related to the fsnotifier daemon or IntelliJ IDEA processes. 4. Implement strict code signing and application whitelisting policies on developer machines to prevent execution of unauthorized binaries that could exploit this vulnerability. 5. Educate developers about the risks of opening untrusted projects or files within IntelliJ IDEA, especially from unknown sources, to reduce the risk of triggering the buffer overflow. 6. Regularly audit and update development tools and environments to minimize exposure to known vulnerabilities. 7. Consider isolating development environments using virtualization or containerization to contain potential exploitation impacts.