CVE-2025-7779 in True Image
Summary
by MITRE • 09/30/2025
Local privilege escalation due to insecure XPC service configuration. The following products are affected: Acronis True Image (macOS) before build 42389, Acronis True Image for SanDisk (macOS) before build 42198, Acronis True Image for Western Digital (macOS) before build 42197.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/01/2025
The vulnerability CVE-2025-7779 represents a critical local privilege escalation flaw in Acronis True Image macOS implementations that stems from insecure XPC service configurations. This issue affects multiple variants of the backup software including the standard Acronis True Image for macOS, as well as specialized versions for SanDisk and Western Digital storage devices. The vulnerability exploits the fundamental security architecture of macOS XPC (Cross-Platform Communication) services, which are designed to facilitate secure inter-process communication between privileged and unprivileged components. When improperly configured, these XPC services can be manipulated by local attackers to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges, effectively bypassing the standard macOS security boundaries that normally protect against such attacks.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the improper access control and privilege management within the XPC service endpoints exposed by the affected Acronis True Image versions. XPC services typically operate under strict security policies that define which processes can communicate with them and what operations they are authorized to perform. In this case, the XPC service configuration fails to properly validate incoming requests, allowing unprivileged user processes to send malicious payloads that trigger privilege escalation. The vulnerability manifests when a local attacker can establish communication with the vulnerable XPC service and submit crafted parameters that cause the service to execute code with root privileges. This represents a classic example of insecure direct object reference vulnerability that has been classified under CWE-284, which deals with inadequate access control mechanisms in software systems.
The operational impact of CVE-2025-7779 is severe and potentially devastating for affected systems. An attacker with local user access can exploit this vulnerability to gain root privileges without requiring any additional authentication or exploitation techniques. Once escalated, the attacker can perform any action on the compromised system including modifying critical system files, installing malware, creating new user accounts, or exfiltrating sensitive data. The vulnerability affects the specific build versions mentioned, with Acronis True Image for macOS before build 42389, SanDisk variant before build 42198, and Western Digital variant before build 42197 all being susceptible to this attack vector. The attack surface is particularly concerning because backup software often runs with elevated privileges to perform system-level operations, making the XPC service configuration critical for maintaining system security boundaries. This vulnerability directly maps to attack techniques documented in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under T1068, which covers local privilege escalation through insecure service configurations and T1547, which addresses system service manipulation.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2025-7779 should focus on immediate remediation through official software updates provided by Acronis, as the vendor has likely released patches addressing the insecure XPC service configuration. System administrators should prioritize updating all affected Acronis True Image installations to the latest build versions that contain proper access control measures for XPC services. Additionally, organizations should implement monitoring for suspicious XPC service activity and consider restricting access to XPC services through macOS security policies. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper privilege separation and secure service configuration in macOS applications, particularly those that handle sensitive system operations. Security teams should also conduct thorough vulnerability assessments of other backup and system maintenance applications that may expose similar XPC service configurations. The remediation process should include verification that XPC services are properly configured with appropriate access controls and that no unnecessary privileged communication channels exist between user processes and system services. Organizations should also consider implementing additional security measures such as code integrity checks and system hardening procedures to prevent exploitation of similar vulnerabilities in other system components.