CVE-2017-13872

HIGHNVD 8.18.2▲
EchelonGraph scoreHIGH confidence

Score elevated to 8.2 because EPSS predicts 37% probability of exploitation within the next 30 days (top 1.6% of all CVEs). NVD baseline CVSS 8.1 retained for reference. Confidence: see factors.

Triggered by: EPSS exploit prediction ≥85%
Sources: epss, ghsa, nvd
Weaponized
8.2EG
EchelonGraph verdictPatch this weekExploitation is likely or a public exploit exists.
  • Public exploit code is available (Metasploit, Exploit-DB (verified), epss top5pct, public exploit)
CISA-KEV: Not listedEPSS PROB: 37%CVSS: 8.1Exploit: Metasploit · Exploit-DB (verified) · epss top5pct · public exploitExposed: 0

No vendor fix yet — apply a workaround or compensating control (WAF / firewall / segmentation) and watch for a patch.

An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. macOS High Sierra before Security Update 2017-001 is affected. The issue involves the "Directory Utility" component. It allows attackers to obtain administrator access without a password via certain interactions involving entry of the root user name.

CVSS v3
8.1
EG Score
8.2(high)
EG Risk
67(Track)
EG Risk 67/100SSVC: Track

EG Risk is EchelonGraph's 0–100 priority score: it fuses intrinsic severity with real-world exploitation and automatability so you can rank equal-severity CVEs and fix the most dangerous first. Higher = act sooner. Distinct from the 0–10 EG Score (severity).

How it’s computed
Severity82% × 45%
Exploitation65% × 40%
Automatability30% × 15%
Action: Routine — remediate on your standard cadence.
EPSS PROB
37%
EPSS %ILE
98%
KEV
Not listed

Published

November 29, 2017

Last Modified

June 17, 2026

References (20)

Weakness Classification(1)

MITRE Common Weakness Enumeration — the root-cause categories this CVE belongs to.

Data Freshness Timeline

(refreshed 7× in last 7d / 30× in last 30d)

Each row is a source pipeline that fetched or updated this CVE on that date, with what changed. For example, "NVD update" means NVD published or revised its analysis for this CVE; "MITRE cvelistV5" means we ingested or refreshed it from the CNA feed. Most recent first.

  1. 2026-07-28 15:32 UTCEPSS rescore
  2. 2026-07-26 14:51 UTCEPSS rescore
  3. 2026-07-25 14:13 UTCEPSS rescore
  4. 2026-07-23 14:15 UTCEPSS rescore
  5. 2026-07-23 01:27 UTCEG score recompute▲ 0.10
  6. 2026-07-22 22:06 UTCEG score recompute
  7. 2026-07-22 14:04 UTCEPSS rescore
  8. 2026-07-21 15:21 UTCEPSS rescore
  9. 2026-07-21 15:21 UTCEPSS rescore
  10. 2026-07-20 17:04 UTCEPSS rescore
  11. 2026-07-20 17:04 UTCEPSS rescore
  12. 2026-07-19 14:28 UTCEPSS rescore
  13. 2026-07-19 14:28 UTCEPSS rescore
  14. 2026-07-18 10:00 UTCEPSS rescore
  15. 2026-07-16 16:59 UTCEPSS rescore
  16. 2026-07-16 16:59 UTCEPSS rescore
  17. 2026-07-15 16:54 UTCEPSS rescore
  18. 2026-07-15 16:54 UTCEPSS rescore
  19. 2026-07-15 01:56 UTCEPSS rescore
  20. 2026-07-13 06:09 UTCEPSS rescore
  21. 2026-07-12 05:43 UTCEPSS rescore
  22. 2026-07-11 08:24 UTCEPSS rescore
  23. 2026-07-09 19:06 UTCEPSS rescore
  24. 2026-07-08 15:10 UTCEPSS rescore
  25. 2026-07-06 16:24 UTCEPSS rescore
Show 49 more
  1. 2026-07-06 02:20 UTCEPSS rescore
  2. 2026-07-04 06:28 UTCEPSS rescore
  3. 2026-07-01 15:02 UTCEPSS rescore
  4. 2026-07-01 15:02 UTCEPSS rescore
  5. 2026-06-29 14:03 UTCEPSS rescore
  6. 2026-06-28 04:53 UTCEPSS rescore
  7. 2026-06-27 03:05 UTCEPSS rescore
  8. 2026-06-25 13:47 UTCEPSS rescore
  9. 2026-06-25 13:47 UTCEPSS rescore
  10. 2026-06-24 14:02 UTCEPSS rescore
  11. 2026-06-23 21:30 UTCEPSS rescore
  12. 2026-06-22 14:23 UTCEPSS rescore
  13. 2026-06-22 14:23 UTCEPSS rescore
  14. 2026-06-21 01:57 UTCEPSS rescore
  15. 2026-06-21 01:57 UTCEPSS rescore
  16. 2026-06-18 17:50 UTCEPSS rescore
  17. 2026-06-17 17:50 UTCEPSS rescore
  18. 2026-06-16 17:50 UTCEPSS rescore
  19. 2026-06-15 17:45 UTCEPSS rescore
  20. 2026-06-14 23:14 UTCEPSS rescore
  21. 2026-06-14 23:14 UTCEPSS rescore
  22. 2026-06-12 23:09 UTCEPSS rescore
  23. 2026-06-11 13:57 UTCEPSS rescore
  24. 2026-06-10 22:15 UTCEPSS rescore
  25. 2026-06-08 14:14 UTCEPSS rescore
  26. 2026-06-07 15:22 UTCEPSS rescore
  27. 2026-06-07 15:22 UTCEPSS rescore
  28. 2026-06-06 13:45 UTCEPSS rescore
  29. 2026-06-06 13:45 UTCEPSS rescore
  30. 2026-06-05 22:44 UTCEPSS rescore
  31. 2026-06-05 06:08 UTCEPSS rescore
  32. 2026-06-05 06:08 UTCEPSS rescore
  33. 2026-06-04 13:10 UTCEPSS rescore
  34. 2026-06-04 13:10 UTCEPSS rescore
  35. 2026-06-01 13:49 UTCEPSS rescore
  36. 2026-06-01 13:49 UTCEPSS rescore
  37. 2026-05-31 00:14 UTCEPSS rescore
  38. 2026-05-29 13:41 UTCEPSS rescore
  39. 2026-05-27 13:38 UTCEPSS rescore
  40. 2026-05-27 13:38 UTCEPSS rescore
  41. 2026-05-26 07:17 UTCEPSS rescore
  42. 2026-05-26 07:17 UTCEPSS rescore
  43. 2026-05-22 21:15 UTCEPSS rescore
  44. 2026-05-22 21:15 UTCEPSS rescore
  45. 2026-05-22 21:15 UTCEPSS rescore
  46. 2026-05-22 07:38 UTCEG score recompute
  47. 2026-05-22 07:38 UTCGHSA enrichment
  48. 2026-05-18 21:30 UTCEPSS rescore
  49. 2026-05-18 21:30 UTCEPSS rescore

Publicly available exploits

(4 references)

Working exploit code is in the public domain (2 Metasploit modules) (2 Exploit-DB entries). Defenders should treat patch urgency accordingly — public PoCs typically lead to mass-exploitation within 24-72 hours.

  • Exploit-DBEDB-43201✓ verified
    First seen Nov 30, 2017

    Apple macOS 10.13.1 (High Sierra) - 'Blank Root' Local Privilege Escalation (Metasploit)

    Open source ↗
  • Metasploitexploit/osx/local/root_no_password✓ verified
    First seen Nov 29, 2017

    Mac OS X Root Privilege Escalation

    Open source ↗
  • Exploit-DBEDB-43248✓ verified
    First seen Nov 28, 2017

    Apple macOS 10.13.1 (High Sierra) - 'Blank Root' Local Privilege Escalation

    Open source ↗
  • Metasploitauxiliary/scanner/vnc/ard_root_pw✓ verified
    First seen Jan 1, 2017

    Apple Remote Desktop Root Vulnerability

    Open source ↗

Related CVEs(same CWE)

Frequently asked(5)

What is CVE-2017-13872?
CVE-2017-13872 is a high vulnerability published on November 29, 2017. An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. macOS High Sierra before Security Update 2017-001 is affected. The issue involves the "Directory Utility" component. It allows attackers to obtain administrator access without a password via certain interactions involving entry of the root user…
When was CVE-2017-13872 disclosed?
CVE-2017-13872 was first published in the National Vulnerability Database on November 29, 2017, with the most recent update on June 17, 2026. EchelonGraph re-ingests CVE updates from NVD on a 2-hour cycle, so this page reflects the latest published state.
Is CVE-2017-13872 actively exploited?
CVE-2017-13872 is not currently on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. FIRST EPSS estimates a 37% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, which ranks it in the top 1.7% of all scored CVEs.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2017-13872?
CVE-2017-13872 has a CVSS v3 base score of 8.1 (NVD). EchelonGraph synthesises NVD + CISA KEV + FIRST EPSS + GHSA into a combined EG score of 8.2.
How do I remediate CVE-2017-13872?
Patch to the fixed version published by the affected vendor. Where vendor advisories exist for CVE-2017-13872, EchelonGraph cross-links them in the Vendor Advisories panel below — those typically contain the canonical remediation steps, fixed version numbers, and any vendor-specific mitigations.

Dependency Blast Radius

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