Vulnerability in Apple macOS
CVE-2019-12571
A vulnerability in the London Trust Media Private Internet Access (PIA) VPN Client v0.9.8 beta (build 02099) for macOS could allow an authenticated, local attacker to overwrite arbitrary files. When the client initiates a connection, the XML /tmp/pia-watcher.plist file is created. If the file exists, it will be truncated and the contents completely overwritten. This file is removed on disconnect. An unprivileged user can create a hard or soft link to arbitrary files owned by any user on the system, including root. This creates a denial of service condition and possible data loss if leveraged by a malicious local user.
Published · last modified .
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 7.1 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H.
EPSS exploit prediction
EPSS: 0.006 (48.8th percentile), scored .
Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 49th percentile — 48.8% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.
EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.006 · newest: 0.006 · change: 0.000
Affected products
- Apple macOS
- Londontrustmedia Private Internet Access Vpn Client — versions 0.9.8
Weakness classification (CWE)
Public proof-of-concept exploits
References
- github.com/mirchr/security-research/blob/master/vulnerabilities/PIA/CVE-2019-12… (Exploit, Third Party Advisory)
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2019-12571?
- CVE-2019-12571 is a high-severity vulnerability in Apple macOS, classified under Improper Link Resolution Before File Access. CVSS score: 7.1/10. Published 2019-07-11.
- How severe is CVE-2019-12571?
- High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.1 out of 10.
- Is CVE-2019-12571 known to be exploited?
- 1 public proof-of-concept repositories are indexed. Not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.