CVE-2025-65842
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability in Aquarius HelperTool (1.0.003) on macOS allows local attackers to escalate privileges to root. The XPC service fails to validate client identity and has flawed authorization logic, enabling arbitrary command execution with root privileges. Only macOS systems with this specific version of Aquarius HelperTool are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- Aquarius HelperTool
📦 What is this software?
Aquarius Helpertool by Acustica Audio
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Attacker gains persistent root access, installs backdoors, exfiltrates sensitive data, and fully compromises the system.
Likely Case
Local attacker escalates to root privileges and executes arbitrary commands to maintain access or install malware.
If Mitigated
With proper access controls and monitoring, impact is limited to isolated privilege escalation attempts that can be detected and contained.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires local access but is straightforward due to the authorization bypass and command injection vulnerabilities.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Unknown
Vendor Advisory: https://almightysec.com/helpertool-xpc-service-local-privilege-escalation/
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Check if Aquarius HelperTool 1.0.003 is installed. 2. Remove or disable the vulnerable version. 3. Monitor vendor for security updates. 4. Apply patches when available.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Aquarius HelperTool XPC Service
allRemove or disable the vulnerable XPC service to prevent exploitation
sudo launchctl unload /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.aquarius.helpertool.plist
sudo rm -f /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.aquarius.helpertool.plist
Remove Aquarius HelperTool
allCompletely remove the vulnerable software from the system
sudo rm -rf /Library/PrivilegedHelperTools/AquariusHelperTool
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict access controls to limit local user access to affected systems
- Enable detailed logging and monitoring for privilege escalation attempts and unusual root activity
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if Aquarius HelperTool version 1.0.003 is installed: ls -la /Library/PrivilegedHelperTools/ | grep AquariusHelperToolCheck Version:
Check installed version via package manager or file metadataVerify Fix Applied:
Verify the XPC service is not running: launchctl list | grep aquarius.helpertool📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual XPC service connections to Aquarius HelperTool
- Unexpected privilege escalation events
- Commands executed with root privileges from non-admin users
Network Indicators:
- Local inter-process communication attempts to privileged XPC services
SIEM Query:
process_name:"AquariusHelperTool" AND user:"root" AND command_line:*sh* OR process_name:"AquariusHelperTool" AND parent_process:non_admin_user