Privilege Escalation via get-task-allow entitlement in MacVim.app
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Attack requirements
- None
- Impact type
- Information disclosure
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- Low · Low · None
- Fix status
- Fixed
Attack profile from CVSS 4.0 · CNA. Fix status from CNA. Impact type from CWE-497.
Summary
MacVim's configuration on macOS, specifically the presence of entitlement "com.apple.security.get-task-allow", allows local attackers with unprivileged access (e.g. via a malicious application) to attach a debugger, read or modify the process memory, inject code in the application's context despite being signed with Hardened Runtime and bypass Transparency, Consent, and Control (TCC). Acquired resource access is limited to previously granted permissions by the user. Access to other resources beyond granted permissions requires user interaction with a system prompt asking for permission. According to Apple documentation, when a non-root user runs an app with the debugging tool entitlement, the system presents an authorization dialog asking for a system administrator's credentials. Since there is no prompt when the target process has "get-task-allow" entitlement, the presence of this entitlement was decided to be treated as a vulnerability because it removes one step needed to perform an attack. This issue was fixed in build r181.2
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
Remediation
- Fix · CNA MacVim (MacVim) Fixed in r181.2
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2025-8597
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-fr79-fj3v-59wf
References
More MacVim vulnerabilities
- TI-2023-21662 Macvim's Insecure Usage of IPC Mechanisms CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.8
Sources
- CVE-2025-8597 · CVE Program
- CVE-2025-8597 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-fr79-fj3v-59wf · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
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