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CVE Record

CVE-2018-7715: PrivateVPN 2.0.31 for macOS suffers from a root privilege escalation vulnerability with its com.privat.vpn....

PrivateVPN 2.0.31 for macOS suffers from a root privilege escalation vulnerability with its com.privat.vpn.helper privileged helper tool. This privileged helper tool implements an XPC service that allows arbitrary installed applications to connect and send messages. The XPC service extracts the path string from the corresponding XPC message. This string is supposed to point to PrivateVPN's internal openvpn binary. If a new connection has not already been established, an attacker can send the XPC service a malicious XPC message with the path string pointing at a binary that he or she controls. This results in the execution of arbitrary code as the root user.

UnknownCVSS not scoredNot KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysishigh

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

PrivateVPN 2.0.31 for macOS contains a local privilege escalation flaw. A malicious application already running on the Mac could abuse PrivateVPN’s privileged helper to run attacker-controlled code as root. This is not described as remotely exploitable, and no active exploitation is cited.

Executive priority

Treat as important for managed Macs using PrivateVPN. The business risk is local malware turning limited access into full system control. Prioritize inventory and remediation, but do not assume internet-scale exploitation from the provided evidence.

Technical view

The com.privat.vpn.helper privileged helper exposes an XPC service that accepts messages from arbitrary installed applications. It extracts a path string intended for PrivateVPN’s internal openvpn binary. If no connection is established, a malicious path can cause arbitrary code execution as root.

Likely exposure

Exposure is limited to macOS systems with PrivateVPN 2.0.31 installed. The provided sources do not identify other affected versions or platforms.

Exploitation context

An attacker would need code execution as a local application on the Mac. The impact is root-level execution. The source bundle does not cite public exploitation, KEV listing, or remote attackability.

Researcher notes

The advisory describes an insecure XPC trust boundary and path validation issue in a privileged helper. Affected-version data is narrow, and no CVSS, CWE, patch reference, or exploitation evidence is provided in the source bundle.

Mitigation direction

  • Inventory macOS endpoints for PrivateVPN 2.0.31.
  • Check PrivateVPN vendor guidance for fixed versions or removal instructions.
  • Upgrade or remove affected installations according to vendor guidance.
  • Prioritize systems where untrusted local applications may run.

Validation and detection

  • Confirm whether PrivateVPN 2.0.31 is installed on macOS endpoints.
  • Check for the com.privat.vpn.helper privileged helper.
  • Verify remediation by confirming the affected version is removed or updated.
  • Review endpoint telemetry for unexpected root processes associated with the helper.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
3

Public sources used

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context

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ATT&CK lookup starting points

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Execution behavior lookup

The CVE wording references code or command execution, so execution technique review may help defensive triage. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.

Open ATT&CK lookup
description · low confidence lookup

Privilege behavior lookup

The CVE wording references privilege impact, so privilege escalation and authorization behavior review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.

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cve · low confidence lookup

CVE-2018-7715 mapping review

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Unknown
CVSS
Not scored
Known Exploited
No
Published
Official CVE source material

CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5

These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.

0CVSS vectors
0Timeline events
0ADP providers
2Source links

CVSS and timeline data

No CVSS vectors or timeline events were available in the normalized CVE source material.

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
n/an/an/aListed
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.