Activity tracking via unencrypted software update traffic
Published Aug 24, 2022 · Updated May 29, 2025
Cleartext transmission in Software Update for Apple macOS, tvOS, and watchOS allows adjacent-network attackers to track user activity. Software Update sends activity-related information over HTTP rather than HTTPS, exposing requests to observation by a party with a privileged network position. The flaw discloses activity patterns rather than permitting content modification or service interruption, and reachability requires visibility into the device's network path.
Summary
What happened
Cleartext transmission in Software Update for Apple macOS, tvOS, and watchOS allows adjacent-network attackers to track user activity. Software Update sends activity-related information over HTTP rather than HTTPS, exposing requests to observation by a party with a privileged network position. The flaw discloses activity patterns rather than permitting content modification or service interruption, and reachability requires visibility into the device's network path.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2022-32857
- Published
- Aug 24, 2022
- Updated
- May 29, 2025
- Vendor
- Apple
- Product
- tvOS
- Classifications
- CWE-319, T1040
- Attack vector
- adjacent
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Aug 24, 2022CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- May 29, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=unspecified <15.6
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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