Detect CVE-2022-48503 Apple Multiple Products Unspecified Vulnerability Exploitation in Splunk
Detects potential exploitation of CVE-2022-48503, an unspecified vulnerability affecting Apple multiple products. This CVE is listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, indicating active exploitation in the wild. Detection focuses on suspicious process activity, network connections, and crash telemetry from Apple ecosystem processes that may indicate exploitation attempts.
MITRE ATT&CK
- Tactic
- Initial Access Execution Persistence
SPL Detection Query
index=endpoint sourcetype=crowdstrike:events OR sourcetype=jamf:events OR sourcetype=mac_os:security
| eval apple_process=if(match(process_name, "(?i)(safari|webkit|mobilesafari|com\.apple\.webkit)"), 1, 0)
| where apple_process=1
| eval suspicious=if(match(parent_process_name, "(?i)(bash|zsh|sh|python|perl|ruby|curl|wget)"), 1, 0)
| eval crash_event=if(match(event_type, "(?i)(crash|exception|segfault|signal)"), 1, 0)
| where suspicious=1 OR crash_event=1
| stats count by _time, host, user, process_name, parent_process_name, event_type, dest_ip, dest_port
| eval risk_score=case(suspicious=1 AND crash_event=1, 90, suspicious=1, 70, crash_event=1, 50, true(), 30)
| where risk_score >= 50
| sort -risk_score, -_timeSearches endpoint telemetry for Apple product processes exhibiting suspicious behavior such as spawning shell interpreters or experiencing crashes, which may indicate exploitation of CVE-2022-48503.
Data Sources
Required Sourcetypes
False Positives & Tuning
- Legitimate software development workflows using command-line tools alongside Safari
- Automated testing pipelines that trigger WebKit process crashes intentionally
- System updates causing temporary process crashes during patch application
- Security scanning tools inspecting Apple process memory
Other platforms for CVE-2022-48503
Testing Methodology
Validate this detection against 3 adversary techniques from Atomic Red Team. Each test below lists the behaviour to exercise and the telemetry you should expect to see. Executable commands and cleanup steps are available with Pro.
- Test 1Simulate Safari Child Shell Spawn (macOS)
Expected signal: Process launch event showing bash or osascript spawned in temporal proximity to Safari process activity; macOS Unified Log entries capturing both process starts
- Test 2WebKit Process Crash Simulation (macOS)
Expected signal: Crash report generated in ~/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/ for safaridriver; macOS Unified Log capturing SIGABRT receipt; endpoint EDR (CrowdStrike/Defender) process termination event with abnormal exit code
- Test 3Suspicious Outbound Connection from Safari Process (macOS)
Expected signal: Network connection event logged by endpoint EDR showing outbound TCP to port 4444 from curl process with Safari user-agent; DNS or network flow records capturing the connection attempt
Unlock Pro Content
Get the full detection package for CVE-2022-48503 including response playbook, investigation guide, and atomic red team tests.