CVE-2019-12576: A vulnerability in the London Trust Media Private Internet Access (PIA) VPN Client v82 for macOS could allow an authenticated, local attacker to run a...

Description

A vulnerability in the London Trust Media Private Internet Access (PIA) VPN Client v82 for macOS could allow an authenticated, local attacker to run arbitrary code with elevated privileges. The openvpn_launcher binary is setuid root. This program is called during the connection process and executes several operating system utilities to configure the system. The networksetup utility is called using relative paths. A local unprivileged user can execute arbitrary commands as root by creating a networksetup trojan which will be executed during the connection process. This is possible because the PATH environment variable is not reset prior to executing the OS utility.

Metrics

EPSS Probability

0.86%

53.9th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

CWE-426

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Londontrustmedia	Private Internet Access Vpn Client	82

References

https://github.com/mirchr/security-research/blob/master/vulnerabilities/PIA/CVE-2019-12576.txtExploit, Third Party Advisory
https://github.com/mirchr/security-research/blob/master/vulnerabilities/PIA/CVE-2019-12576.txtExploit, Third Party Advisory

Timeline

Published: Jul 11, 2019
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2019-12576?

A vulnerability in the London Trust Media Private Internet Access (PIA) VPN Client v82 for macOS could allow an authenticated, local attacker to run arbitrary code with elevated privileges. The openvpn_launcher binary is setuid root. This program is called during the connection process and executes several operating system utilities to configure the system. The networksetup utility is called using relative paths. A local unprivileged user can execute arbitrary commands as root by creating a networksetup trojan which will be executed during the connection process. This is possible because the PATH environment variable is not reset prior to executing the OS utility.

How severe is CVE-2019-12576?

Severity scoring for CVE-2019-12576 is pending analysis. The EPSS model estimates a 0.86% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2019-12576?

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.

How Strix Helps

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