EUVD-2026-41001
GHSA-fmmf-42mh-hr4x
Severity by source
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:P/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:Y/R:U/V:C/RE:L/U:Amber
TOCTOU race requires timing precision warranting AC:H; local low-privileged access (AV:L/PR:L); root escalation from a non-root process constitutes a scope change (S:C) with full CIA impact.
Primary rating from Vendor (Cato).
CVSS VectorVendor: Cato
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:P/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:Y/R:U/V:C/RE:L/U:Amber
Lifecycle Timeline
3DescriptionCVE.org
Improper certificate validation and a time-of-check time-of-use (TOCTOU) race condition in the PrivilegedHelperTool XPC service in Cato Client before v.5.13.1 on macOS allows a local authenticated attacker to escalate privileges to root via a self-signed certificate that bypasses the XPC caller verification and a symlink swap during package installation.
AnalysisAI
Local privilege escalation in Cato Client on macOS allows an authenticated low-privileged user to gain root by chaining two flaws in the PrivilegedHelperTool XPC service: improper certificate validation (CWE-295) that accepts self-signed certificates to bypass XPC caller verification, and a TOCTOU race condition exploitable via symlink swap during package installation. All Cato Client (SDP Client) versions prior to 5.13.1 on macOS are affected. …
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Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata
Vulnerability AssessmentAI
| Exploitation | Exploitation requires an authenticated session on a macOS host running Cato Client prior to v5.13.1, with at minimum a standard (low-privileged, non-root) user account - corresponding to CVSS PR:L. … Additional conditions and limiting factors are described in the full assessment. |
| Risk Assessment | The provided CVSS 4.0 vector (AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H) reflects local access with low complexity once conditions are aligned, though AT:P acknowledges that a specific attack requirement - timing the TOCTOU race during a package installation window - must be satisfied. … Full risk analysis with EPSS, KEV, and SSVC signal comparison available after sign-in. |
| Exploit Scenario | A low-privileged user on a corporate macOS laptop running Cato Client 5.12.x crafts a self-signed certificate and uses it to authenticate to the PrivilegedHelperTool XPC service, bypassing caller verification. The attacker then triggers a Cato Client package update or installation and, in a tight race window, atomically swaps a symlink in the installation path to point to a root-owned file or directory before the PrivilegedHelperTool completes its privileged write. … |
| Remediation | Upgrade Cato Client to version 5.13.1 or later immediately; this is the vendor-confirmed patched release, documented in the Cato Networks advisory at https://support.catonetworks.com/hc/en-us/articles/37284626576413. … Detailed patch versions, workarounds, and compensating controls in full report. |
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Same weakness CWE-295 – Improper Certificate Validation
View allSame technique Authentication Bypass
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External POC / Exploit Code
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