What is CVE-2023-29485?

CVE-2023-29485 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Apple macOS, classified under Missing Authentication for Critical Function. CVSS score: 9.8/10. Published 2023-12-21.

How severe is CVE-2023-29485?

Critical severity. CVSS v3 base score is 9.8 out of 10.

Auth bypass in Apple macOS

CVE-2023-29485

An issue was discovered in Heimdal Thor agent versions 3.4.2 and before on Windows and 2.6.9 and before on macOS, allows attackers to bypass network filtering, execute arbitrary code, and obtain sensitive information via DarkLayer Guard threat prevention module. NOTE: Heimdal disputes the validity of this issue arguing that their DNS Security for Endpoint filters DNS traffic on the endpoint by intercepting system-generated DNS requests. The product was not designed to intercept DNS requests from third-party solutions.

Vulnerability class: Broken Authentication

Published 2023-12-21 · last modified 2026-06-17.

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 9.8 (Critical). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.

EPSS exploit prediction

EPSS: 0.010 (59.9th percentile), scored 2026-10-01.

Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 60th percentile — 59.9% 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

Weakness classification (CWE)

CWE-306 — Missing Authentication for Critical Function

References

medium.com/@drabek.a/weaknesses-in-heimdal-thors-line-of-products-9d0e5095fb93 (Exploit, Third Party Advisory)

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2023-29485?: CVE-2023-29485 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Apple macOS, classified under Missing Authentication for Critical Function. CVSS score: 9.8/10. Published 2023-12-21.
How severe is CVE-2023-29485?: Critical severity. CVSS v3 base score is 9.8 out of 10.