Auth bypass in Apple Mac OS X
CVE-2017-13872
An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. macOS High Sierra before Security Update 2017-001 is affected. The issue involves the "Directory Utility" component. It allows attackers to obtain administrator access without a password via certain interactions involving entry of the root user name.
Vulnerability class: Broken Authentication
Published · last modified .
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 8.1 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
EPSS exploit prediction
EPSS: 0.368 (98.5th percentile), scored .
Moderate probability of exploitation in the next 30 days — watch for active exploitation reports. 98th percentile — 98.5% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.
EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.368 · newest: 0.368 · change: 0.000
Affected products
- Apple Mac OS X — versions 10.13.0, 10.13.1
- macOS High Sierra — versions macOS High Sierra
Weakness classification (CWE)
Public proof-of-concept exploits
References
- objective-see.com/blog/blog_0x24.html (Technical Description, Exploit, Third Party Advisory)
- support.apple.com/HT208331
- support.apple.com/HT208315 (Vendor Advisory)
- arstechnica.com/information-technology/2017/11/macos-bug-lets-you-log-in-as-adm… (Third Party Advisory, Mitigation)
- www.securitytracker.com/id/1039875 (VDB Entry, Third Party Advisory, vdb-entry)
- www.exploit-db.com/exploits/43201/ (Exploit, VDB Entry, Third Party Advisory, exploit)
- github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/pull/9302
- www.exploit-db.com/exploits/43248/ (exploit)
- www.securityfocus.com/bid/101981 (VDB Entry, Third Party Advisory, vdb-entry)
- www.wired.com/story/macos-update-undoes-apple-root-bug-patch/ (Third Party Advisory, Press/Media Coverage)
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2017-13872?
- CVE-2017-13872 is a high-severity vulnerability in Apple Mac OS X, classified under Improper Authentication. CVSS score: 8.1/10. Published 2017-11-29.
- How severe is CVE-2017-13872?
- High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 8.1 out of 10.
- Is CVE-2017-13872 known to be exploited?
- 11 public proof-of-concept repositories are indexed. Not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.