How severe is CVE-2023-41036?

CVE-2023-41036 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2023-41036 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (26th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2023-41036?

CVE-2023-41036 affects Macvim. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2023-41036?

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-2023-41036 published?

CVE-2023-41036 was published on 2023-11-07 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2023-41036

CVE-2023-41036 is a high-severity vulnerability in Macvim with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8. 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-269.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 7.8)
EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (26th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-269
Affected product: Macvim
Published: 2023-11-07
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

Macvim is a text editor for MacOS. Prior to version 178, Macvim makes use of an insecure interprocess communication (IPC) mechanism which could lead to a privilege escalation. Distributed objects are a concept introduced by Apple which allow one program to vend an interface to another program. What is not made clear in the documentation is that this service can vend this interface to any other program on the machine. The impact of exploitation is a privilege escalation to root - this is likely to affect anyone who is not careful about the software they download and use MacVim to edit files that would require root privileges. Version 178 contains a fix for this issue.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2023-41036?: Macvim is a text editor for MacOS. Prior to version 178, Macvim makes use of an insecure interprocess communication (IPC) mechanism which could lead to a privilege escalation. Distributed objects are a concept introduced by Apple which allow one program to vend an interface to another program. What is not made clear in the documentation is that this service can vend this interface to any other program on the machine. The impact of exploitation is a privilege escalation to root - this is likely to affect anyone who is not careful about the software they download and use MacVim to edit files that would require root privileges. Version 178 contains a fix for this issue.
How severe is CVE-2023-41036?: CVE-2023-41036 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2023-41036 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (26th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2023-41036?: CVE-2023-41036 affects Macvim. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2023-41036?: 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-2023-41036 published?: CVE-2023-41036 was published on 2023-11-07 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:macvim:macvim:*:*:*:*:*:macos:*:*

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