CVE-2019-8656
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 · uneditedThis was addressed with additional checks by Gatekeeper on files mounted through a network share. This issue is fixed in macOS Mojave 10.14.6, Security Update 2019-004 High Sierra, Security Update 2019-004 Sierra. Extracting a zip file containing a symbolic link to an endpoint in an NFS mount that is attacker controlled may bypass Gatekeeper.
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 is a Gatekeeper bypass vulnerability in macOS where extracting a zip file containing a symbolic link to an endpoint on an attacker-controlled NFS mount can circumvent Gatekeeper's security checks. Gatekeeper failed to properly validate files mounted through network shares, allowing potentially malicious code to execute without user warning.
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< 10.14.6CVSS 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
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/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 open Apple menu > About This MacAffected if Version is earlier than 10.14.6 (e.g., 10.14.5, 10.14.4, 10.13.x, etc.)
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Verify Gatekeeper is enabledRun `spctl --status` in TerminalAffected if Gatekeeper is enabled (output shows 'assessment enabled') on a vulnerable OS version
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Check for automatic zip handling in FinderOpen Finder > Preferences > General and look for 'Open safe files after downloading' option, or check defaults read com.apple.LaunchServicesAffected if Option is enabled on a vulnerable OS version - allows automatic extraction of zip files that could contain malicious symlinks
Your environment is affected if macOS version is earlier than 10.14.6 and you open or automatically extract zip files from untrusted sources, especially those containing symbolic links to network shares.
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 data10.14.6
Apply the applicable Apple security updates: macOS Mojave 10.14.6, Security Update 2019-004 High Sierra, or Security Update 2019-004 Sierra. Consider disabling automatic opening of zip files in Finder as an additional precaution.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2019-8656 — 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-2019-8656 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
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