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Client ConnectorApplication · Zscaler

CVE-2024-23480

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-05-01
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 4.2 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 fallback mechanism in code sign checking on macOS may allow arbitrary code execution. This issue affects Zscaler Client Connector on MacOS prior to 4.2.

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

Zscaler Client Connector for macOS prior to version 4.2 contains a vulnerable fallback mechanism in its code signature verification logic. This flaw allows an attacker to bypass the code signing checks, potentially enabling the execution of malicious code with elevated privileges on affected systems.

MitigationUpgrade Zscaler Client Connector to version 4.2 or later to remediate this vulnerability.

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
Client ConnectorApplication
Affected:< 4.2

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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/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. Confirm Zscaler Client Connector is installed
    Run: ls /Applications/ | grep -i 'Zscaler' or check /Applications folder for 'Zscaler Client Connector.app'
    Affected if The application is not found in /Applications
  2. Determine installed version
    Run: defaults read /Applications/Zscaler\ Client\ Connector.app/Contents/Info CFBundleShortVersionString
    Affected if Version cannot be read or returns a value less than 4.2
  3. Verify version against affected range
    Compare the obtained version number to the threshold 4.2
    Affected if Installed version is lower than 4.2 (e.g., 4.0, 3.x, etc.)

If Zscaler Client Connector is installed and its version is below 4.2, the environment is affected by this code signature verification bypass vulnerability.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 4.2 or later
Fixed in 4.2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Zscaler Client Connector to version 4.2 or later to remediate this vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

4.2

  1. Open the Zscaler Client Connector on your Mac
  2. Check the current version by navigating to the app's preferences or about section
  3. If the version is below 4.2, download the latest version (4.2 or later) from the official Zscaler portal or help.zscaler.com
  4. Install the updated Zscaler Client Connector application
  5. Restart the client connector to ensure the update takes effect
  6. Verify the installed version is 4.2 or higher

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Client Connector Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
4.0 hours of engineering $750
Get the upgrade done

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

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dbcve dependency scanner

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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-2024-23480 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