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CVE-2019-12174: hide.me before 2.4.4 on macOS suffers from a privilege escalation vulnerability in the connectWithExecutabl...

hide.me before 2.4.4 on macOS suffers from a privilege escalation vulnerability in the connectWithExecutablePath:configFilePath:configFileName method of the me_hide_vpnhelper.Helper class in the me.hide.vpnhelper macOS privilege helper tool. This method takes user-supplied input and can be used to escalate privileges, as well as obtain the ability to run any application on the system in the root context.

UnknownCVSS not scoredNot KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysishigh

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

CVE-2019-12174 is a macOS privilege escalation issue in hide.me versions before 2.4.4. A local user-supplied input path could allow applications to be launched with root privileges through the VPN helper tool. This matters most on Macs where hide.me is installed and untrusted or lower-privileged users can access the system.

Executive priority

Treat this as a high-priority endpoint hygiene issue if hide.me is present on managed Macs. The business risk is local privilege escalation to root, but urgency depends on installed footprint because no active exploitation evidence is provided.

Technical view

The issue is in connectWithExecutablePath:configFilePath:configFileName of me_hide_vpnhelper.Helper within the me.hide.vpnhelper macOS privileged helper. The CVE description says user-controlled input can escalate privileges and run any application as root. The bundle provides no CVSS, CWE, normalized CPE, or detailed vendor mitigation text.

Likely exposure

Exposure appears limited to macOS systems running hide.me before 2.4.4. The source bundle does not provide normalized affected product data, so inventory should rely on endpoint software records and vendor package metadata.

Exploitation context

The source bundle does not indicate active exploitation, and the CVE is not listed as KEV. The described impact requires local interaction with the affected helper behavior, but the available sources do not provide exploit prerequisites or attack prevalence.

Researcher notes

The public bundle is sparse: it identifies the vulnerable method and root execution impact, but lacks CVSS, CWE, detailed affected CPEs, exploit status, and vendor remediation language. Do not assume broader hide.me products or non-macOS platforms are affected from this evidence.

Mitigation direction

  • Identify macOS endpoints with hide.me installed.
  • Update hide.me for macOS to 2.4.4 or later where available.
  • Remove hide.me from systems where it is not required.
  • Check hide.me vendor guidance for supported remediation details.
  • Prioritize shared Macs and administrator workstations.

Validation and detection

  • Confirm installed hide.me versions across the macOS fleet.
  • Verify remediated systems are not running versions before 2.4.4.
  • Check whether the privileged helper remains installed after removal or upgrade.
  • Review endpoint logs for unexpected root-launched applications tied to the helper.
  • Document exceptions with owner, business need, and remediation date.
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

These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.

ATT&CK lookup starting points

Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.

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.

Open ATT&CK lookup
cve · low confidence lookup

CVE-2019-12174 mapping review

Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.

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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.