What is CVE-2022-26721?

CVE-2022-26721 is a high-severity vulnerability in Apple macOS, classified under Improper Initialization. CVSS score: 7.8/10. Published 2022-05-26.

How severe is CVE-2022-26721?

High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.8 out of 10.

Vulnerability in Apple macOS

CVE-2022-26721

A memory initialization issue was addressed. This issue is fixed in Security Update 2022-004 Catalina, macOS Monterey 12.4, macOS Big Sur 11.6.6. A malicious application may be able to gain root privileges.

Vulnerability class: Dirty Pipe (CVE-2022-0847)

Published 2022-05-26 · last modified 2026-06-17.

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 7.8 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.

EPSS exploit prediction

EPSS: 0.009 (57.3th percentile), scored 2026-09-30.

Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 57th percentile — 57.3% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.

EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.009 · newest: 0.009 · change: +0.000

Affected products

Apple macOS — versions unspecified
Apple Mac OS X — versions 10.15.7
Apple Security Update - Catalina — versions unspecified

Weakness classification (CWE)

CWE-665 — Improper Initialization

References

support.apple.com/en-us/HT213255 (Vendor Advisory)
support.apple.com/en-us/HT213256 (Vendor Advisory)
support.apple.com/en-us/HT213257 (Vendor Advisory)

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2022-26721?: CVE-2022-26721 is a high-severity vulnerability in Apple macOS, classified under Improper Initialization. CVSS score: 7.8/10. Published 2022-05-26.
How severe is CVE-2022-26721?: High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.8 out of 10.