CVE-2020-29621Public exploit

Privacy-control bypass via unsigned coreaudiod plug-in loading

Published Apr 2, 2021 · Updated Aug 4, 2024

Authorization bypass in AppleMobileFileIntegrity in Apple macOS before 11.1 allows local users to bypass Privacy preferences. The coreaudiod daemon disables library validation and loads HAL plug-ins from /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/HAL, letting injected code inherit its private TCC manager entitlement. An application able to install a plug-in and restart the daemon can modify the TCC database, granting protected access such as Full Disk Access without a consent prompt.

CVSS severity5.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.38%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Authorization bypass in AppleMobileFileIntegrity in Apple macOS before 11.1 allows local users to bypass Privacy preferences. The coreaudiod daemon disables library validation and loads HAL plug-ins from /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/HAL, letting injected code inherit its private TCC manager entitlement. An application able to install a plug-in and restart the daemon can modify the TCC database, granting protected access such as Full Disk Access without a consent prompt.

The record

CVE
CVE-2020-29621
Published
Apr 2, 2021
Updated
Aug 4, 2024
Vendor
Apple
Product
macOS
Classifications
CWE-862, T1548.006
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Apr 2, 2021CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 4, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=unspecified <11.1

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

Apple · macOSversion=unspecified <11.1

Published CVSS scores

2.1NVDAV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:N
5.5NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

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No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-862Missing Authorization
T1548.006TCC Manipulation

Public exploit references

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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