CVE-2018-7493: CactusVPN through 6.0 for macOS suffers from a root privilege escalation vulnerability in its privileged helpe

Q: How do I fix CVE-2018-7493?

cactusvpn: upgrade to newer than 6.0. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Q: Is CVE-2018-7493 being exploited?

CVE-2018-7493 is not on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list at the time of the last update. Check again, as this can change.

Q: What does CVE-2018-7493 affect?

CVE-2018-7493 affects cactusvpn. Severity is critical (CVSS 9.8). CactusVPN through 6.0 for macOS suffers from a root privilege escalation vulnerability in its privileged helper tool. The privileged helper tool implements an XPC interface, which allows arbitrary applications to execute system commands as

Q: How urgent is CVE-2018-7493?

Priority 59/100. Critical severity; Remotely exploitable, no login, no user action

This month

CRITICAL 9.8REMOTEUPGRADE

CVE-2018-7493 is a critical-severity flaw (CVSS 9.8) affecting cactusvpn. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

CactusVPN through 6.0 for macOS suffers from a root privilege escalation vulnerability in its privileged helper tool. The privileged helper tool implements an XPC interface, which allows arbitrary applications to execute system commands as root.

Why this priority

Critical severity
Remotely exploitable, no login, no user action

A fixed release or distro patch exists.

Risk facts

CVSS score	9.8 (Critical)
Attack vector	Network (remote)
Attack complexity	Low
Privileges needed	None
User interaction	None
EPSS exploit chance	1.8% (top 22%)
CISA exploited list	No
Published	2018-03-05
Last modified	2026-06-17

Publisher (CNA): MITRE · Vendor: cactusvpn

Last updated 2026-06-17 · Sources: CVE Program, NVD, CISA KEV, EPSS and vendor advisories · How we score

Am I affected?

Timeline

2018-03-05 20:29 UTCPublished CVE record published
2026-06-17 02:03 UTCUpdated Record last modified

cactusvpn cactusvpn UPGRADE

Affected: <= 6.0

Fixed in: newer than 6.0

Safe to downgrade to: no unaffected older release

1. Check installed version

apt-cache policy cactusvpn || rpm -q cactusvpn || cactusvpn --version

2. UPGRADE to newer than 6.0 (Debian / Ubuntu)

sudo apt update && sudo apt install --only-upgrade cactusvpn

2. UPGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)

sudo dnf upgrade cactusvpn

Note

Distros often backport fixes without changing the version number. Confirm with the distro advisory or changelog.

Verify at the official source NVD · CVE Program · Report a problem with this page
Scores and fixes here are computed automatically from those and other public sources. Confirm with the vendor advisory before changing production systems.

Quick answers

How do I fix CVE-2018-7493?

cactusvpn: upgrade to newer than 6.0. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Is CVE-2018-7493 being exploited?

CVE-2018-7493 is not on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list at the time of the last update. Check again, as this can change.

What does CVE-2018-7493 affect?

CVE-2018-7493 affects cactusvpn. Severity is critical (CVSS 9.8). CactusVPN through 6.0 for macOS suffers from a root privilege escalation vulnerability in its privileged helper tool. The privileged helper tool implements an XPC interface, which allows arbitrary applications to execute system commands as

How urgent is CVE-2018-7493?

Priority 59/100. Critical severity; Remotely exploitable, no login, no user action

Software pages

macOS vulnerabilities

Related CVEs

CVE-2018-7281 HIGH 8.8 DOWNGRADE CactusVPN 5.3.6 for macOS contains a root privilege escalation vulnerability through a setuid root binary call

References

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