What is CVE-2017-2540?

CVE-2017-2540 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Apple Mac OS X, classified under Improper Input Validation. CVSS score: 5.5/10. Published 2017-05-22.

How severe is CVE-2017-2540?

Medium severity. CVSS v3 base score is 5.5 out of 10.

Is CVE-2017-2540 known to be exploited?

6 public proof-of-concept repositories are indexed. Not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

Improper input validation in Apple Mac OS X

CVE-2017-2540

An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. macOS before 10.12.5 is affected. The issue involves the "WindowServer" component. It allows attackers to bypass intended memory-read restrictions via a crafted app.

Vulnerability class: Drupalgeddon 2 (CVE-2018-7600)

Published 2017-05-22 · last modified 2026-06-17.

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 5.5 (Medium). Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N.

EPSS exploit prediction

EPSS: 0.010 (60.4th percentile), scored 2026-09-30.

Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 60th percentile — 60.4% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.

EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.010 · newest: 0.010 · change: 0.000

Affected products

Apple Mac OS X

Weakness classification (CWE)

CWE-20 — Improper Input Validation

Public proof-of-concept exploits

References

www.securitytracker.com/id/1038484 (vdb-entry)
support.apple.com/HT207797 (Vendor Advisory)

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2017-2540?: CVE-2017-2540 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Apple Mac OS X, classified under Improper Input Validation. CVSS score: 5.5/10. Published 2017-05-22.
How severe is CVE-2017-2540?: Medium severity. CVSS v3 base score is 5.5 out of 10.
Is CVE-2017-2540 known to be exploited?: 6 public proof-of-concept repositories are indexed. Not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.