Strix
26.1K

CVE-2018-7716

UnknownEPSS 2.41%

Last modified

CVE-2018-7716 is a vulnerability of currently unknown severity. PrivateVPN 2.0.31 for macOS suffers from a root privilege escalation vulnerability with its com.privat.vpn.helper privileged helper tool. This privileged helper tool implements an XPC service that allows arbitrary installed applications to connect and send messages. EPSS estimates a 2.41% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

Description

PrivateVPN 2.0.31 for macOS suffers from a root privilege escalation vulnerability with its com.privat.vpn.helper privileged helper tool. This privileged helper tool implements an XPC service that allows arbitrary installed applications to connect and send messages. The XPC service extracts the config string from the corresponding XPC message. This string is supposed to point to an internal OpenVPN configuration file. If a new connection has not already been established, an attacker can send the XPC service a malicious XPC message with the config string pointing at an OpenVPN configuration file that he or she controls. In the configuration file, an attacker can specify a dynamic library plugin that should run for every new VPN connection. This plugin will execute code in the context of the root user.

Metrics

EPSS Probability
2.41%

82.0th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Affected Software

VendorProductVersions
PrivatevpnPrivatevpn2.0.31

References

Timeline

Published
Last Modified
Status
Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2018-7716?
PrivateVPN 2.0.31 for macOS suffers from a root privilege escalation vulnerability with its com.privat.vpn.helper privileged helper tool. This privileged helper tool implements an XPC service that allows arbitrary installed applications to connect and send messages. The XPC service extracts the config string from the corresponding XPC message. This string is supposed to point to an internal OpenVPN configuration file. If a new connection has not already been established, an attacker can send the XPC service a malicious XPC message with the config string pointing at an OpenVPN configuration file that he or she controls. In the configuration file, an attacker can specify a dynamic library plugin that should run for every new VPN connection. This plugin will execute code in the context of the root user.
How severe is CVE-2018-7716?
Severity scoring for CVE-2018-7716 is pending analysis. The EPSS model estimates a 2.41% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How do I fix CVE-2018-7716?
Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.

Are you affected by CVE-2018-7716?

Run a free Strix scan to check your systems for this vulnerability.

Scan your code now

Source: NVD / NIST