dbcve.org
Mac Os XOperating system · Apple

CVE-2019-6238

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-10-27
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 10.14.4 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
A validation issue existed in the handling of symlinks. This issue was addressed with improved validation of symlinks. This issue is fixed in macOS Mojave 10.14.4, Security Update 2019-002 High Sierra, Security Update 2019-002 Sierra. Processing a maliciously crafted package may lead to arbitrary code execution.

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 · high confidence

A validation bypass in macOS allows maliciously crafted packages with specially crafted symbolic links to bypass security checks and execute arbitrary code with user privileges. The vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of symlinks during package processing.

MitigationApply the appropriate Apple security update: macOS Mojave 10.14.4, Security Update 2019-002 High Sierra, or Security Update 2019-002 Sierra, depending on the macOS version in use.

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:< 10.14.4

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:3.1/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
    Open Terminal and run: sw_vers -productVersion
    Affected if The reported version is below 10.14.4 (for example, 10.14.3, 10.14.2, 10.13.x, etc.)
  2. Confirm macOS build date
    Run: sw_vers -buildVersion in Terminal to cross-reference the build with your version release timeline
    Affected if Build corresponds to a release predating the April 2019 security updates
  3. Verify package installation behavior
    Inspect any third-party .pkg installers before running them; ensure they do not contain unexpected symbolic links pointing outside the expected installation directory
    Affected if A package contains symlinks that resolve to paths outside the intended install scope

The system is affected if it runs any macOS version earlier than 10.14.4, since the vulnerability exists in the symlink validation logic of the installer subsystem in those versions.

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 10.14.4 or later
Fixed in 10.14.4
Interim mitigation

Apply the appropriate Apple security update: macOS Mojave 10.14.4, Security Update 2019-002 High Sierra, or Security Update 2019-002 Sierra, depending on the macOS version in use.

Fix this in Mac Os X Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $890
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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-2019-6238 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