CVE-2022-42846 in iOS
Summary
by MITRE • 12/15/2022
The issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in iOS 16.2 and iPadOS 16.2, iOS 15.7.2 and iPadOS 15.7.2. Parsing a maliciously crafted video file may lead to unexpected system termination.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/21/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-42846 represents a memory handling flaw in Apple's mobile operating systems that could be exploited through maliciously crafted video files. This issue affects iOS and iPadOS versions prior to 16.2 and 15.7.2 respectively, demonstrating the critical nature of memory management vulnerabilities in multimedia processing components. The vulnerability falls under the category of improper handling of memory resources, which is classified as CWE-415 in the Common Weakness Enumeration framework, highlighting the risk of double free errors or memory corruption during video parsing operations.
The technical execution of this vulnerability occurs when the affected systems attempt to parse video files that contain specially crafted malicious elements designed to exploit memory handling weaknesses in the multimedia framework. When such files are processed, the system's memory management routines fail to properly handle the allocated resources, leading to unexpected termination of the operating system processes. This behavior represents a classic buffer overflow or memory corruption scenario where the parsing logic does not adequately validate or sanitize input data before processing, allowing malicious payloads to disrupt normal system operations.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risk to end users who may encounter malicious video content through various attack vectors including email attachments, messaging applications, web downloads, or compromised media sharing platforms. The impact extends beyond simple system crashes to potentially enable more sophisticated attacks if attackers can leverage the memory corruption to execute arbitrary code or escalate privileges. The vulnerability's exploitation requires user interaction with malicious media files, making it a prime candidate for social engineering campaigns that target mobile device users.
The mitigation strategy for CVE-2022-42846 involves applying the security updates released by Apple in iOS 16.2 and iPadOS 16.2, as well as iOS 15.7.2 and iPadOS 15.7.2. These patches address the underlying memory handling issues through improved validation routines and enhanced input sanitization during video file processing. Organizations should prioritize deployment of these updates across all affected devices and implement additional security measures such as email filtering, web content restrictions, and user awareness training to minimize exposure to potential exploitation attempts. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1203 - Exploitation for Client Execution, with potential for privilege escalation through memory corruption techniques that could be leveraged by threat actors targeting mobile environments.