PrivateVPN 2.0.31 for macOS suffers from a root privilege escalation vulnerability. The software installs a privileged helper tool that runs as the root user. This privileged helper tool is installed as a LaunchDaemon and implements an XPC service. The XPC service is responsible for handling new VPN connection operations via the main PrivateVPN application. The privileged helper tool creates new VPN connections by executing the openvpn binary located in the /Applications/PrivateVPN.app/Contents/Resources directory. The openvpn binary can be overwritten by the default user, which allows an attacker that has already installed malicious software as the default user to replace the binary. When a new VPN connection is established, the privileged helper tool will launch this malicious binary, thus allowing an attacker to execute code as the root user. NOTE: the vendor has reportedly indicated that this behavior is "an acceptable part of their software.
References
| Link | Resource |
|---|---|
| https://gist.github.com/anonymous/cfc3f3419804b22ee9e82ee8d16a661d | Third Party Advisory |
| https://github.com/VerSprite/research/blob/eba22c8b506be6f7128ef5356281915d5667bfff/advisories/VS-2018-004.md | Third Party Advisory |
| https://github.com/VerSprite/research/blob/master/advisories/VS-2018-004.md | Third Party Advisory |
| https://gist.github.com/anonymous/cfc3f3419804b22ee9e82ee8d16a661d | Third Party Advisory |
| https://github.com/VerSprite/research/blob/eba22c8b506be6f7128ef5356281915d5667bfff/advisories/VS-2018-004.md | Third Party Advisory |
| https://github.com/VerSprite/research/blob/master/advisories/VS-2018-004.md | Third Party Advisory |
Configurations
History
21 Nov 2024, 04:11
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| References | () https://gist.github.com/anonymous/cfc3f3419804b22ee9e82ee8d16a661d - Third Party Advisory | |
| References | () https://github.com/VerSprite/research/blob/eba22c8b506be6f7128ef5356281915d5667bfff/advisories/VS-2018-004.md - Third Party Advisory | |
| References | () https://github.com/VerSprite/research/blob/master/advisories/VS-2018-004.md - Third Party Advisory |
07 Nov 2023, 03:00
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| Summary | PrivateVPN 2.0.31 for macOS suffers from a root privilege escalation vulnerability. The software installs a privileged helper tool that runs as the root user. This privileged helper tool is installed as a LaunchDaemon and implements an XPC service. The XPC service is responsible for handling new VPN connection operations via the main PrivateVPN application. The privileged helper tool creates new VPN connections by executing the openvpn binary located in the /Applications/PrivateVPN.app/Contents/Resources directory. The openvpn binary can be overwritten by the default user, which allows an attacker that has already installed malicious software as the default user to replace the binary. When a new VPN connection is established, the privileged helper tool will launch this malicious binary, thus allowing an attacker to execute code as the root user. NOTE: the vendor has reportedly indicated that this behavior is "an acceptable part of their software. |
Information
Published : 2018-02-21 22:29
Updated : 2024-11-21 04:11
NVD link : CVE-2018-7311
Mitre link : CVE-2018-7311
CVE.ORG link : CVE-2018-7311
JSON object : View
Products Affected
privatevpn
- privatevpn
CWE
CWE-732
Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource