dbcve.org
Mac Os XOperating system · Apple

CVE-2017-13809

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2017-11-13
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 10.13.0 or later.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
No privileges

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. macOS before 10.13.1 is affected. The issue involves the "AppleScript" component. It allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted AppleScript file that is mishandled by osadecompile.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

A remote code execution vulnerability in macOS AppleScript's osadecompile component allows attackers to execute arbitrary code by tricking users into opening a specially crafted AppleScript file. The vulnerability affects macOS versions prior to 10.13.1.

MitigationUpgrade macOS to version 10.13.1 or later. Avoid opening untrusted or unsolicited AppleScript files from unknown sources.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Mac Os XOperating system
Affected:<= 10.13.0

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check installed macOS version
    Run 'sw_vers -productVersion' or click Apple menu > About This Mac to view the exact macOS version number
    Affected if Version is 10.13.0 or earlier (e.g., 10.12.x, 10.11.x, etc.)
  2. Verify osadecompile binary presence
    Run 'ls -la /usr/bin/osadecompile' or 'which osadecompile' to confirm the AppleScript compiler binary exists on the system
    Affected if Binary exists and version check above shows vulnerable macOS version
  3. Confirm AppleScript is enabled
    Run 'osacompile -l' to list available scripting languages, or check System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Automation to see if AppleScript has permissions
    Affected if AppleScript functionality is available and the system runs a vulnerable macOS version
  4. Check osadecompile version directly
    Run 'osadecompile --version' or 'osadecompile -h' to see version information if exposed
    Affected if Version output shows build/version prior to the 10.13.1 security update

A system is affected if it runs macOS version 10.13.0 or earlier AND has the osadecompile/AppleScript component available and accessible to users.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

From vendor data
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 10.13.0
Interim mitigation

Upgrade macOS to version 10.13.1 or later. Avoid opening untrusted or unsolicited AppleScript files from unknown sources.

Fix this in Mac Os X Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,980
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2017-13809 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data