EUVD-2026-33750
GHSA-gg57-wg6f-c8vg
Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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ReconGain same-user local foothold on macOS
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DeliveryWait for user to launch CodexBar CLI installer
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ExploitWatch mktemp-created script path
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InstallOverwrite script body during admin prompt
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C2User approves authorization
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Executebash executes attacker payload as root
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ImpactPersist via root-owned LaunchDaemon
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A01:2025 - Broken Access Control
ASVS 5.0
V5 - File Handling Secure temp file creation
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| Exploitation Conditions | Requires the attacker to already have local code execution as the same user account that runs the CodexBar CLI installer on macOS, and requires that user to actively initiate the install/upgrade and approve the macOS administrator authorization prompt (UI:P in CVSS) - a passing race window between mktemp script creation and bash-as-root execution must be won (AC:H). Limiting factors: only affects CodexBar versions before 0.32.0; only triggered during CLI installer runs, not during normal app operation; despite the CVSS AV:N metric, the description and CWE-377 confine real exploitation to local same-user attackers, so remote unauthenticated abuse is not supported by the technical details and the network vector should be verified with the vendor. |
| Impact | Signals conflict and should be reconciled before prioritization. The CVSS 4.0 vector lists AV:N (Network) yet the description, CWE-377, and patch notes describe a strictly local same-user race against an installer running on macOS - the network metric is almost certainly a publishing error and real-world reach is local-only. PR:L plus UI:P (passive user interaction during the admin prompt) and AC:H (race condition timing) further constrain exploitation; effectively an attacker needs an existing same-user foothold on a Mac that is currently installing or upgrading CodexBar. EPSS and SSVC data were not provided, and the CVE is not listed in CISA KEV, with no public exploit identified at time of analysis. Net effect: real-world risk is moderate and situational - high impact (root code execution) but narrow opportunity window - well below what the raw 7.5 score implies for internet-facing assets. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker who already has unprivileged code execution as the target user on macOS (for example via a malicious helper, dropped LaunchAgent, or earlier phishing payload) monitors for the CodexBar CLI installer to create its mktemp script. When the user triggers the install and the macOS authorization prompt appears, the attacker's process overwrites the temporary script body with arbitrary commands; once the user approves, bash executes the attacker's payload as root. No public exploit identified at time of analysis, but the primitive is a textbook TOCTOU and trivially scriptable. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv3 – Jun 01, 2026
Local privilege escalation in CodexBar prior to 0.32.0 allows a same-user attacker to execute arbitrary commands as root by winning a TOCTOU race against the CLI installer's temporary file. The installer writes a privileged shell payload via mktemp and invokes it through bash under an administrator prompt, leaving a window in which the file body can be swapped before approval. No public exploit identified at time of analysis, but VulnCheck published an advisory and the upstream patch is merged.
Earlier versions of this analysis (2)
Local privilege escalation in CodexBar versions prior to 0.32.0 allows a same-user process to overwrite a temporary installer script created by the CLI installer between mktemp creation and the macOS administrator privilege prompt approval, resulting in attacker-controlled commands executing as root. The flaw was disclosed by VulnCheck and fixed in v0.32.0; no public exploit identified at time of analysis and the issue is not listed in CISA KEV.
Local privilege escalation in CodexBar (a macOS menu bar app by steipete) versions prior to 0.32.0 lets a same-user process win a race against the CLI installer to swap a mktemp-created shell script before it is executed with administrator privileges, yielding arbitrary command execution as root. The flaw was reported by VulnCheck and fixed in release 0.32.0 (commit dbc944d4, PR #1222); no public exploit identified at time of analysis and the issue is not listed in CISA KEV.
RemediationAI
Vendor-released patch: CodexBar 0.32.0 - upgrade immediately via the GitHub release at https://github.com/steipete/CodexBar/releases/tag/v0.32.0 (the relevant changelog entry reads 'CLI: avoid executing a same-user mutable temporary installer script across the macOS administrator privilege boundary'). The code-level fix is commit dbc944d46cd4cf7877d1ca47c44556fe573b46e8 merged via PR #1222. If immediate upgrade is not possible, defer running the CLI installer on multi-user or potentially-compromised Macs and refuse the administrator prompt unless the install was just initiated by the same user - note that this only buys time and does not eliminate the race. As a stronger compensating control, restrict installer execution to a clean account or run it under a directory only writable by root (e.g., stage the script under a root-owned path before authorization), accepting the trade-off that this requires manual repackaging and breaks the normal one-click install UX.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 1 package in euvd
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Technical ContextAI · show details
CodexBar is a macOS menu-bar application by developer 'steipete' that surfaces status from AI coding assistants (Codex, Claude, Augment, Antigravity, Amp/Ollama). The vulnerable component is its CLI installer, which uses mktemp(1) to stage a shell script and then escalates via the macOS administrator authorization prompt (bash invoked with elevated rights). CWE-377 (Insecure Temporary File) captures the root cause: the script file remains writable by the original unprivileged user across the privilege boundary, so any process running as that user can overwrite the contents between creation and the privileged exec. Affected CPE is cpe:2.3:a:steipete:codexbar:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* covering all versions before 0.32.0.
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Severity by source
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:N/PR:L/UI:P/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
Primary rating from Vendor (VulnCheck) · only source for this CVE.
CVSS VectorVendor: VulnCheck
Lifecycle Timeline
3DescriptionCVE.org
CodexBar prior to 0.32.0 contains a privilege escalation vulnerability in the CLI installer that allows local attackers to execute arbitrary commands as root by exploiting a race condition in temporary file handling. The installer creates a temporary file with mktemp, writes a privileged shell payload into it, and executes it with administrator privileges via bash, allowing a same-user local process to rewrite the installer body before the administrator prompt is approved, causing attacker-controlled commands to run as root.
Executive ViewAI
CodexBar prior to version 0.32.0 is vulnerable to local privilege escalation through a race condition in the CLI installer, enabling attackers to gain unauthorized root access. This exposes organizations relying on CodexBar for infrastructure or system administration to potential unauthorized administrative access and system compromise.
Apply vendor patch.
Threat Intelligence Overview
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
How this decision was reached
The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
Privilege escalation occurs when an attacker leverages flaws in access control mechanisms to gain permissions beyond what they were originally granted.
Cleartext session cookie exposure in CodexBar (a macOS menu bar AI provider client) prior to 0.32.0 allows network-posit
Local privilege-level information disclosure and artifact tampering in CodexBar versions prior to 0.32.0 allows authenti
Credential interception in CodexBar before 0.33.0 exposes API keys, bearer tokens, and browser cookies to network-adjace
Exploit-DB