CVE-2018-4217
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 · uneditedIn macOS High Sierra before 10.13.5, a privacy issue in the handling of Open Directory records was addressed with improved indexing.
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 confidenceThis vulnerability in macOS High Sierra prior to 10.13.5 involved improper handling of Open Directory records, where insufficient indexing controls allowed unauthorized access to sensitive directory information. The privacy issue stemmed from inadequate access controls on Open Directory (Apple's LDAP-compatible directory service), potentially exposing user account data, organizational structures, or authentication credentials to unauthorized queries.
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< 10.13.5CVSS 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
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check installed macOS versionRun 'sw_vers -productVersion' in Terminal or click Apple menu > About This MacAffected if Version is earlier than 10.13.5 (e.g., 10.13.4, 10.13.3, etc.)
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Determine if Open Directory is enabledRun 'dsconfigad -show' in Terminal to check if the Mac is bound to Open Directory, or check System Preferences > Users & Groups > Directory Utility to see if Open Directory is activeAffected if Open Directory client or server is enabled on the system
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Inspect Open Directory access controlsOpen Directory Utility (System Preferences > Users & Groups > Directory Utility), click the lock to authenticate, then inspect the directory node configuration for any entries marked as accessible without authentication or with weak access controlsAffected if Open Directory records or indexes are configured to allow anonymous or unauthenticated access
A system is affected if it runs macOS High Sierra earlier than 10.13.5 AND has Open Directory enabled with accessible directory records.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 data10.13.5
Apply macOS High Sierra 10.13.5 or later security update, which implements improved indexing controls for Open Directory records to prevent unauthorized disclosure of directory information.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,200.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-4217 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2018-4217 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- 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