CVE-2018-4044
Description
An exploitable privilege escalation vulnerability exists in the helper service of Clean My Mac X, version 4.04, due to improper input validation. An attacker with local access could exploit this vulnerability to modify the file system as root.
AI Insight
LLM-synthesized narrative grounded in this CVE's description and references.
Local privilege escalation in Clean My Mac X 4.04 helper service due to improper input validation allows arbitrary file system modification as root.
Vulnerability
The vulnerability resides in the removePackageWithID function of the privileged helper tool in Clean My Mac X version 4.04. The helper runs as root and is callable by any application without validation. The function invokes /usr/sbin/pkgutil with a --forget argument and user-supplied input. Due to improper input validation, an attacker can supply arbitrary arguments to pkgutil, bypassing intended restrictions. This is classified as CWE-19: Improper Input Validation. [1]
Exploitation
An attacker with local access can exploit this vulnerability by calling the vulnerable removePackageWithID function from any local process (no authentication required beyond local access). The attacker controls the user_input parameter passed to pkgutil, allowing injection of additional command-line arguments. By crafting the input, the attacker can make pkgutil operate on arbitrary paths, leading to removal or modification of system files. The attacker does not need user interaction or special privileges beyond being a local user. [1]
Impact
Successful exploitation allows the attacker to modify the file system as the root user. This can result in deletion of critical system files or manipulation of package receipts, potentially leading to full system compromise, denial of service, or privilege escalation. The CVSSv3 score is 7.1 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:H/A:N), indicating high integrity impact with no confidentiality or availability impact in the scope. [1]
Mitigation
As of the publication date (2019-01-10), no fix was available for version 4.04. Users should monitor the vendor, MacPaw, for updates to Clean My Mac X. No workaround is documented in the available references. The vulnerability was reported by Cisco Talos and assigned TALOS-2018-0718. [1]
AI Insight generated on May 26, 2026. Synthesized from this CVE's description and the cited reference URLs; citations are validated against the source bundle.
Affected products
1- Range: =4.04
Patches
0No patches discovered yet.
Vulnerability mechanics
Root cause
"Missing input validation in the removePackageWithID function of the privileged helper allows any local application to delete arbitrary package receipts as root."
Attack vector
An attacker with local access can call the `removePackageWithID` function exposed by the privileged helper tool, which runs as root. Because there is no validation of the calling application, any local process can invoke this function [ref_id=1]. The helper passes the attacker-controlled package identifier directly to `pkgutil --forget`, allowing a non-root user to delete receipt information about any installed package as root, crossing a privilege boundary [CWE-19] [ref_id=1].
Affected code
The vulnerability is in the `removePackageWithID` function of the helper protocol. The code calls `/usr/sbin/pkgutil` with the `--forget` argument using the user-supplied package identifier, with no validation of the calling application or the input itself [ref_id=1].
What the fix does
The advisory states the vendor patched the vulnerability on 2018-12-27, but the patch content is not included in the bundle [ref_id=1]. The remediation would require adding proper validation of the calling application (e.g., code signing or entitlement checks) and sanitizing the user-supplied package identifier before passing it to `pkgutil --forget` to prevent arbitrary package receipt deletion as root.
Preconditions
- networkAttacker must have local access to the macOS system
- authNo authentication required beyond local access (CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N)
Generated on May 25, 2026. Inputs: CWE entries + fix-commit diffs from this CVE's patches. Citations validated against bundle.
References
1- www.talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_reports/TALOS-2018-0718mitrex_refsource_MISC
News mentions
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