CVE-2022-42826 in Safari
Summary
by MITRE • 02/27/2023
A use after free issue was addressed with improved memory management. This issue is fixed in macOS Ventura 13, iOS 16.1 and iPadOS 16, Safari 16.1. Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to arbitrary code execution.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/29/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-42826 represents a critical use-after-free flaw that was resolved through enhanced memory management protocols within Apple's operating systems and web browser. This type of vulnerability occurs when a program continues to reference memory locations after they have been freed or deallocated, creating potential entry points for malicious actors to execute arbitrary code. The issue specifically affected macOS Ventura 13, iOS 16.1, iPadOS 16, and Safari 16.1, indicating a widespread impact across Apple's ecosystem where web content processing could be exploited. The vulnerability falls under the CWE-416 category of Use After Free, which is a well-documented weakness in software security that has been consistently flagged as a high-risk vulnerability by security organizations and frameworks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple memory management issues to encompass full system compromise potential. When processing maliciously crafted web content, an attacker could leverage the use-after-free condition to overwrite memory regions with malicious code, potentially leading to complete system control. This represents a sophisticated attack vector that aligns with ATT&CK framework techniques such as T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter and T1566 for phishing with malicious content. The vulnerability's exploitation requires the user to interact with malicious web content, making it particularly dangerous in phishing campaigns or compromised websites where users might inadvertently trigger the exploit through normal browsing activities.
The remediation approach for CVE-2022-42826 involved implementing improved memory management controls that prevent the reuse of freed memory blocks, thereby eliminating the conditions necessary for exploitation. Apple's patching strategy addressed the root cause by strengthening memory allocation and deallocation processes within the web rendering engines of their affected platforms. This fix demonstrates the importance of proper memory management practices in preventing exploitation of such vulnerabilities, as outlined in industry standards like the OWASP Top Ten and NIST cybersecurity guidelines. The resolution required careful implementation of memory safety mechanisms that maintain application functionality while eliminating the conditions that allowed the use-after-free scenario to occur, making it a prime example of how security patches must balance usability with protection.
Organizations and users should prioritize immediate deployment of the affected system updates to mitigate the risk of exploitation, as the vulnerability's potential for arbitrary code execution makes it particularly dangerous in enterprise and consumer environments. The fix serves as a reminder of the critical importance of keeping software updated, especially web browsers and operating systems that process untrusted content. Security teams should monitor for indicators of compromise related to this vulnerability and implement network-based protections such as web application firewalls and content filtering systems to provide defense-in-depth against potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability's resolution also highlights the ongoing need for automated memory safety checking in software development processes, particularly for languages and frameworks that are prone to such memory management errors.