CVE-2012-4284

CRITICALNVD 9.89.8—
EchelonGraph scoreMEDIUM confidence

This critical-severity CVE scores 9.8 under NVD CVSS v3. EPSS exploit probability: 69.5%, top 1% of all CVEs by exploit prediction. GitHub Security Advisory data not yet ingested — confidence will rise once GHSA publishes (typical lag: hours to days for open-source ecosystem CVEs; never for infrastructure-only CVEs).

Triggered by: NVD CVSS baseline
Sources: epss, nvd
Weaponized
9.8EG
EchelonGraph verdictPatch this weekExploitation is likely or a public exploit exists.
  • High exploitation likelihood — EPSS 70%
  • Public exploit code is available (Metasploit, Exploit-DB (verified), epss top5pct, epss high, public exploit)
CISA-KEV: Not listedEPSS PROB: 70%CVSS: 9.8Exploit: Metasploit · Exploit-DB (verified) · epss top5pct · epss high · public exploitExposed: 0

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

A Privilege Escalation vulnerability exists in Viscosity 1.4.1 on Mac OS X due to a path name validation issue in the setuid-set ViscosityHelper binary, which could let a remote malicious user execute arbitrary code

CVSS v3
9.8
EG Score
9.8(medium)
EG Risk
76(Track*)
EG Risk 76/100SSVC: 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
Severity98% × 45%
Exploitation70% × 40%
Automatability30% × 15%
Action: Watch closely — could escalate to Attend.
EPSS PROB
70%
EPSS %ILE
99%
KEV
Not listed

Published

January 10, 2020

Last Modified

November 21, 2024

Advisory Details (4)

Auto-updated Aug 15, 2026
🔬 Proof of concept available. No patch confirmed yet.
generic

Viscosity - Release Notes - SparkLabs

https://www.sparklabs.com/viscosity/releasenotes/mac/
generic

Locked Out | Packet Storm

https://packetstormsecurity.com/files/120643/Viscosity-setuid-set-ViscosityHelper-Privilege-Escalation.html
generic

SecurityFocus

http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/55002
generic🟡 PoC Available

Viscosity - setuid-set ViscosityHelper Privilege Escalation (Metasploit) - OSX local Exploit

http://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/24579

Data Freshness Timeline

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

Publicly available exploits

(3 references)

Working exploit code is in the public domain (1 Metasploit module) (2 Exploit-DB entries). Defenders should treat patch urgency accordingly — public PoCs typically lead to mass-exploitation within 24-72 hours.

  • Exploit-DBEDB-24579✓ verified
    First seen Mar 5, 2013

    Viscosity - setuid-set ViscosityHelper Privilege Escalation (Metasploit)

    Open source ↗
  • Exploit-DBEDB-20485
    First seen Aug 13, 2012

    Viscosity - Local Privilege Escalation

    Open source ↗
  • Metasploitexploit/osx/local/setuid_viscosity✓ verified
    First seen Aug 12, 2012

    Viscosity setuid-set ViscosityHelper Privilege Escalation

    Open source ↗

Frequently asked(5)

What is CVE-2012-4284?
CVE-2012-4284 is a critical vulnerability published on January 10, 2020. A Privilege Escalation vulnerability exists in Viscosity 1.4.1 on Mac OS X due to a path name validation issue in the setuid-set ViscosityHelper binary, which could let a remote malicious user execute arbitrary code
When was CVE-2012-4284 disclosed?
CVE-2012-4284 was first published in the National Vulnerability Database on January 10, 2020, with the most recent update on November 21, 2024. EchelonGraph re-ingests CVE updates from NVD on a 2-hour cycle, so this page reflects the latest published state.
Is CVE-2012-4284 actively exploited?
CVE-2012-4284 is not currently on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. FIRST EPSS estimates a 70% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, which ranks it in the top 0.7% of all scored CVEs.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2012-4284?
CVE-2012-4284 has a CVSS v3 base score of 9.8 (NVD).
How do I remediate CVE-2012-4284?
Patch to the fixed version published by the affected vendor. Where vendor advisories exist for CVE-2012-4284, 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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