Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This vulnerability affects McAfee Endpoint Security for Mac before 10.6.9. A local user or malware already running on a Mac could abuse symbolic links so McAfee deletes files it should not delete. That can undermine system integrity and may support privilege escalation.
Executive priority
High priority for organizations with McAfee-protected Mac fleets, especially where local compromise or shared workstation use is plausible. This does not appear to be a remote exploit from the provided evidence, but it can worsen an existing foothold by attacking privileged endpoint-security behavior.
Technical view
CVE-2020-7265 is a local privilege escalation issue in McAfee ENS for Mac 10.6.x before 10.6.9. The flaw involves symbolic-link manipulation that redirects a privileged McAfee delete action to an unintended file. CVSS 3.1 is 8.8 with local access, low complexity, low privileges, and no user interaction.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to macOS endpoints running McAfee Endpoint Security for Mac 10.6.x before 10.6.9. Internet-facing exposure is not indicated, but compromised local accounts, malware, shared Macs, and developer workstations increase practical risk.
Exploitation context
The source states exploitation requires running a malicious script or program on the target machine. The provided bundle does not indicate CISA KEV listing or active exploitation. Treat this as a post-access local escalation risk, not a remote entry point.
Researcher notes
Focus validation on vulnerable version presence and local post-compromise paths. Avoid assuming exploit-in-the-wild status; the bundle marks KEV as false and provides no active exploitation source. The key technical condition is symlink redirection of a McAfee privileged delete operation.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory Mac endpoints running McAfee ENS for Mac.
- Upgrade affected ENS for Mac installations to 10.6.9 or later.
- Prioritize shared, high-value, and developer Mac systems.
- Restrict unnecessary local user privileges where operationally feasible.
- Check McAfee SB10316 for vendor-specific remediation guidance.
Validation and detection
- Confirm deployed ENS for Mac versions are 10.6.9 or later.
- Verify asset inventory covers all managed Mac endpoints.
- Check vulnerability management records for CVE-2020-7265 closure.
- Review endpoint logs for suspicious local scripts or deletion anomalies.
- Validate MDM or endpoint tooling reports current McAfee agent status.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
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.
CWE-274: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupPrivilege 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 lookupCVE-2020-7265 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- High
- CVSS
- 8.8 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
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.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H26Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
8.8HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://kc.mcafee.com/corporate/index?page=content&id=SB10316CVE reference · x_refsource_CONFIRM
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Improper Handling of Insufficient Privileges
Improper Handling of Insufficient Privileges represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.