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macOS CVE-2025-65842

| EUVDEUVD-2025-200990 MEDIUM
Incorrect Privilege Assignment (CWE-266)
2025-12-03 cve@mitre.org
5.1
CVSS 3.1 · NVD
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Severity by source

NVD PRIMARY
5.1 MEDIUM
AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N

Primary rating from NVD · only source for this CVE.

CVSS VectorNVD

Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

Lifecycle Timeline

4
EUVD ID Assigned
Mar 15, 2026 - 16:14 euvd
EUVD-2025-200990
Analysis Generated
Mar 15, 2026 - 16:14 vuln.today
PoC Detected
Dec 18, 2025 - 20:41 vuln.today
Public exploit code
CVE Published
Dec 03, 2025 - 17:15 nvd
MEDIUM 5.1

DescriptionCVE.org

The Aquarius HelperTool (1.0.003) privileged XPC service on macOS contains multiple flaws that allow local privilege escalation. The service accepts XPC connections from any local process without validating the client's identity, and its authorization logic incorrectly calls AuthorizationCopyRights with a NULL reference, causing all authorization checks to succeed. The executeCommand:authorization:withReply: method then interpolates attacker-controlled input into NSTask and executes it with root privileges. A local attacker can exploit these weaknesses to run arbitrary commands as root, create persistent backdoors, or obtain a fully interactive root shell.

Analysis

The Aquarius HelperTool (1.0.003) privileged XPC service on macOS contains multiple flaws that allow local privilege escalation. The service accepts XPC connections from any local process without validating the client's identity, and its authorization logic incorrectly calls AuthorizationCopyRights with a NULL reference, causing all authorization checks to succeed. The executeCommand:authorization:withReply: method then interpolates attacker-controlled input into NSTask and executes it with root privileges. A local attacker can exploit these weaknesses to run arbitrary commands as root, create persistent backdoors, or obtain a fully interactive root shell.

Technical ContextAI

Privilege escalation allows a low-privileged user or process to gain elevated permissions beyond what was originally authorized.

RemediationAI

Apply the principle of least privilege. Keep systems patched. Monitor for suspicious privilege changes. Use mandatory access controls (SELinux, AppArmor).

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CVE-2025-65842 vulnerability details – vuln.today

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