Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2020-7291 is a local privilege escalation flaw in McAfee Active Response for Mac. A user who can run a malicious script or program on an affected Mac could perform actions they were not authorized to perform. The business risk is highest where MAR is deployed on managed Macs and local compromise is plausible.
Executive priority
Treat as a high-priority endpoint hardening issue, not an internet-wide emergency. Patch affected Macs promptly because successful exploitation could undermine endpoint security boundaries after initial local compromise.
Technical view
The issue affects McAfee Active Response for Mac 2.4.x before 2.4.3 Hotfix 1. It is classified as CWE-274 and rated CVSS 7.8. The vector is local, high complexity, low privileges required, no user interaction, changed scope, and high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to macOS endpoints running McAfee Active Response 2.4.x before 2.4.3 Hotfix 1. The attacker must already have local execution as a low-privileged user, so this is most relevant after phishing, malware, or insider activity.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or cited evidence of active exploitation. The flaw is not remotely exploitable by itself, but it could increase impact after an attacker gains local code execution on a Mac endpoint.
Researcher notes
Evidence is limited to the CVE record and McAfee advisory reference. The bundle identifies affected versions, impact, CVSS vector, and fixed threshold, but does not provide root-cause detail, exploit maturity, or operational indicators.
Mitigation direction
- Upgrade affected MAR for Mac deployments to 2.4.3 Hotfix 1 or later per vendor guidance.
- Prioritize Macs where MAR is installed and users can execute local scripts or untrusted programs.
- Restrict local script execution and software installation where business operations allow.
- Review McAfee advisory SB10317 for any deployment-specific instructions or caveats.
Validation and detection
- Inventory macOS endpoints for McAfee Active Response 2.4.x installations.
- Confirm each MAR for Mac installation is at 2.4.3 Hotfix 1 or later.
- Check endpoint management records for systems missing the hotfix.
- Review security telemetry for suspicious local scripts interacting with MAR functions.
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-2020-7291 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
- 7.8 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/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:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H1.16Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
7.8HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/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=SB10317CVE 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.