HighCISA KEVExploited in the wildPublic exploit

Apple macOS TCC Privacy Preferences Bypass

IdentifiersCVE-2021-30713CWE-863

CVE-2021-30713 is a macOS Transparency, Consent, and Control (TCC) bypass vulnerability caused by a permissions validation issue. Apple states the flaw was addressed with improved validation in macOS Big Sur 11.4. The vulnerability allows a malicious application to bypass Privacy preferences and obtain access to TCC-protected capabilities without the user’s normal consent flow. Reporting associated with in-the-wild exploitation indicates the issue could be abused by placing a malicious compiled AppleScript application inside the bundle of an already trusted or previously authorized “donor” application, causing the injected app to inherit the donor app’s TCC permissions. Observed abuse by XCSSET used this mechanism to access screen recording/screenshot capability without prompting the user, and testing indicated that other TCC-granted permissions such as Full Disk Access could also potentially be inherited.

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ANALYST BRIEF

Impact, mitigation & remediation

What it means. What to do now. Patch path, mitigations, and the assume-compromise checklist.

Impact

What an attacker gets, and what they’ve been doing with it.

Successful exploitation allows an attacker to bypass macOS privacy controls and gain unauthorized access to resources protected by TCC. Depending on the permissions inherited from the donor application, this can enable covert screen capture, access to sensitive user data, and use of other privacy-sensitive capabilities without user approval. In observed attacks, XCSSET used the flaw to take desktop screenshots silently. More broadly, the vulnerability undermines the integrity of Apple’s consent model and can materially increase post-compromise collection, surveillance, and data theft capabilities for malware already running on the host.

Mitigation

If you can’t patch tonight, do this now.

Until patching is complete, reduce exposure by limiting execution of untrusted or unsigned applications, especially developer tooling and Xcode projects obtained from untrusted GitHub repositories, which were used by XCSSET for distribution. Monitor for anomalous nested application bundles inside legitimate apps, unexpected modifications to application Contents/MacOS or Info.plist files, ad-hoc signed payloads, and suspicious AppleScript compilation/execution activity such as osacompile usage. Review TCC-sensitive applications that already possess permissions like Screen Recording or Full Disk Access, as these can serve as donor apps. Endpoint controls capable of detecting app-within-app bundling and code-signing mismatches can help identify exploitation attempts.

Remediation

Patch, then assume compromise.

Upgrade affected systems to macOS Big Sur 11.4 or later, as Apple fixed the issue through improved validation. Apply all subsequent Apple security updates, as this vulnerability was reported as potentially actively exploited in the wild. Where possible, reimage or thoroughly investigate systems suspected of compromise, especially for XCSSET-related artifacts, malicious app-within-app bundles, unexpected AppleScript applets embedded in legitimate application bundles, and signature anomalies.

PUBLIC EXPLOITS

Exploits

No public exploits tracked yet. Mallory keeps watching.

VALID 0 / 0 TOTALView more in app

No public exploit code observed for this vulnerability.

EXPOSURE SURFACE

Affected products & vendors

Products and vendors Mallory has correlated with this vulnerability. Open in Mallory to drill down to specific CPE configurations and version ranges.

VendorProductType

AppleMac Os Xoperating_system

AppleMacosoperating_system

Vendor-confirmed product mapping. Mallory continuously reconciles this list against your asset inventory.

ACTIVITY FEED

Recent activity

3 sources tracked across advisories, community write-ups, and news. New activity surfaces here as Mallory finds it.

3 SOURCESView more in app

huntress blogNews

Apr 22, 2025

Say Hello to Mac Malware: A Tradecraft Tuesday Recap

A macOS vulnerability that enables bypass of Apple’s Transparency, Consent, and Control (TCC) privacy permission framework, allowing malware to access protected resources without the expected user consent prompts.

kyberturvallisuuskeskus infosecNews

May 25, 2021

Apple korjasi haavoittuvuuksia laitteissaan - päivitä heti | Kyberturvallisuuskeskus

A zero-day vulnerability in Apple’s TCC (Transparency, Consent and Control) interface affecting macOS Big Sur, reported by researchers as possibly already exploited.

jamf threat labsNews

Jan 25, 2026

Zero-Day TCC bypass discovered in XCSSET malware

A macOS Transparency, Consent, and Control (TCC) framework bypass that allowed a malicious app to inherit or obtain protected privacy permissions (e.g., Screen Recording, Full Disk Access) without the user’s explicit consent, enabling actions like silent screenshot capture.

What this page doesn’t show

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Exposure mapping

Query your assets running an affected version, and investigate the blast radius.

Threat actor evidence

Every observed campaign linking this CVE to a named adversary.

Associated malware1

Malware families riding this exploit, with evidence and IOCs.

Detection signatures1

YARA, Sigma, Snort, and vendor rules, auto-deployed to your SIEM.

Vendor-by-vendor mapping

Cross-references every affected SKU, including bundled OEM variants.

Social activity

Community discussion across Reddit, Mastodon, and other social sources.

EXTERNAL REFERENCES

MITRE CVE

cve.org · CVE-2021-30713

NVD

nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-30713

MITRE CWE · CWE-863

cwe.mitre.org

Vendor Advisory

support.apple.com/en-us/HT212529

Vendor Advisory

support.apple.com/kb/HT212805

Third Party Advisory

seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2021/Sep/40

Third Party Advisory

cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2021-30713