# CVE-2017-8665: Privilege escalation in Xamarin.iOS

> An attacker can execute arbitrary code with root privileges on macOS systems using the Xamarin.iOS update component.

- **Severity:** High 7.8 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 15 Aug 2017
- **Updated:** 17 Sep 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-4hj8-x4jj-w73c

## What is CVE-2017-8665?

CVE-2017-8665 is a high-severity vulnerability in Microsoft Corporation Xamarin.iOS, published on 15 Aug 2017. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The Xamarin.iOS update component on systems running macOS allows an attacker to run arbitrary code as root, aka "Xamarin.iOS Elevation Of Privilege Vulnerability."

Weakness: CWE-732 (Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2017-8665?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Microsoft Xamarin.ios.

## How do I fix CVE-2017-8665?

No fix has been published for CVE-2017-8665 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2017-8665 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2017-8665 exists.

Public exploit code:

- Xamarin Studio for Mac 6.2.1 (build 3) / 6.3 (build 863) - Local Privilege Escalation (exploitdb)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2017-8665 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2017-8665 is a high-severity vulnerability in Microsoft Corporation Xamarin.iOS, published on 15 Aug 2017. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2017-8665 exists.

Affected product: Microsoft Corporation Xamarin.iOS. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-8665/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-8665/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2017-8665
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-8665
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2017-8665

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-8665/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.