CVE-2025-4960 in Printer Controller Installer
Summary
by MITRE • 02/19/2026
The com.epson.InstallNavi.helper tool, deployed with the EPSON printer driver installer, contains a local privilege escalation vulnerability due to multiple flaws in its implementation. It fails to properly authenticate clients over the XPC protocol and does not correctly enforce macOS’s authorization model, exposing privileged functionality to untrusted users. Although it invokes the AuthorizationCopyRights API, it does so using overly permissive custom rights that it registers in the system’s authorization database (/var/db/auth.db).
These rights can be requested and granted by the authorization daemon to any local user, regardless of privilege level. As a result, an attacker can exploit the vulnerable service to perform privileged operations such as executing arbitrary commands or installing system components without requiring administrative credentials.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/19/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-4960 resides within the com.epson.InstallNavi.helper tool, a component distributed as part of the EPSON printer driver installer for macOS systems. This helper tool operates with elevated privileges and is designed to facilitate printer installation and configuration processes. The flaw manifests through improper implementation of the XPC (Cross-Platform Communication) protocol, which serves as the primary communication mechanism between the helper tool and other system components. The tool fails to establish proper client authentication mechanisms, creating an attack surface where unauthenticated processes can interact with privileged functionality. This represents a fundamental breakdown in the principle of least privilege that is essential for secure system design.
The technical implementation of the privilege escalation vulnerability stems from the helper tool's reliance on the AuthorizationCopyRights API without proper enforcement of macOS's authorization model. The tool registers custom authorization rights in the system's authorization database located at /var/db/auth.db, but these rights are configured with excessively permissive permissions. This configuration allows any local user to request and obtain these authorization rights without proper verification of their privilege level or intent. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which addresses improper access control, and specifically demonstrates weaknesses in authorization mechanisms that fail to properly validate user credentials or privileges. The registration of these custom rights bypasses macOS's standard authorization checks, creating a persistent vulnerability that can be exploited repeatedly.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it allows any local user to escalate their privileges to the system level without requiring administrative credentials or passwords. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to execute arbitrary commands with elevated privileges, install malicious software, modify system files, or perform other privileged operations that would normally require administrator access. This represents a critical security flaw that undermines the fundamental security model of macOS, where privilege separation is essential for preventing unauthorized system modifications. The vulnerability enables persistent access to system resources and can serve as a foothold for further exploitation, potentially leading to complete system compromise.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2025-4960 should focus on immediate remediation through EPSON's official security patches and updates. System administrators should disable or remove the vulnerable helper tool until patches are applied, particularly in environments where untrusted local users have access to systems. The authorization rights registered by the tool should be manually reviewed and removed from the system's authorization database if possible. Additionally, monitoring for unauthorized access attempts to the helper tool and its associated XPC endpoints should be implemented. Organizations should consider implementing additional security controls such as process monitoring, file integrity checking, and network segmentation to limit the potential impact of exploitation. This vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper authorization implementation and the risks associated with overly permissive privilege models in system components. The attack vector aligns with ATT&CK technique T1068, which covers local privilege escalation through application misconfiguration, and T1546, which addresses changes to the authorization database to enable persistence or privilege escalation.