How severe is CVE-2020-25533?

CVE-2020-25533 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.0, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with high attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2020-25533 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (16th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2020-25533?

CVE-2020-25533 affects Malwarebytes. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2020-25533?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2020-25533 published?

CVE-2020-25533 was published on 2021-01-15 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2020-25533

CVE-2020-25533 is a high-severity vulnerability in Malwarebytes with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.0. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-362.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 7.0)
CVSS v2: 6.9
EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (16th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-362
Affected product: Malwarebytes
Published: 2021-01-15
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

An issue was discovered in Malwarebytes before 4.0 on macOS. A malicious application was able to perform a privileged action within the Malwarebytes launch daemon. The privileged service improperly validated XPC connections by relying on the PID instead of the audit token. An attacker can construct a situation where the same PID is used for running two different programs at different times, by leveraging a race condition during crafted use of posix_spawn.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-25533?: An issue was discovered in Malwarebytes before 4.0 on macOS. A malicious application was able to perform a privileged action within the Malwarebytes launch daemon. The privileged service improperly validated XPC connections by relying on the PID instead of the audit token. An attacker can construct a situation where the same PID is used for running two different programs at different times, by leveraging a race condition during crafted use of posix_spawn.
How severe is CVE-2020-25533?: CVE-2020-25533 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.0, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with high attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2020-25533 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (16th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2020-25533?: CVE-2020-25533 affects Malwarebytes. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2020-25533?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2020-25533 published?: CVE-2020-25533 was published on 2021-01-15 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

https://wojciechregula.blog/post/learn-xpc-exploitation-part-2-say-no-to-the-pid/

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:malwarebytes:malwarebytes:*:*:*:*:-:macos:*:*

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