CVE-2025-11921 is a vulnerability identified in Bjango's iStats application version 7.10.4, involving an insecure XPC (interprocess communication) service that improperly assigns permissions to a critical resource. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-732 (Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource) and CWE-77 (Command Injection). The insecure XPC service allows local, unprivileged users to execute arbitrary commands with root privileges by exploiting command injection flaws. This means an attacker with local access can escalate their privileges to root without requiring authentication or user interaction. The vulnerability was published on November 24, 2025, with a CVSS v4.0 base score of 8.5, indicating high severity. The attack vector is local (AV:L), with low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:L), and no user interaction (UI:N). The impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability is high (C:H, I:H, A:H), meaning successful exploitation could lead to full system compromise. No known public exploits are currently reported, but the vulnerability poses a significant threat due to the ease of exploitation and the critical nature of privilege escalation. The lack of a patch link suggests that a fix may not yet be publicly available, emphasizing the need for immediate mitigation strategies. The vulnerability affects only version 7.10.4 of iStats, a macOS system monitoring tool popular among professionals and enterprises for system performance tracking.

The primary impact of CVE-2025-11921 is local privilege escalation, allowing an attacker with local access to gain root privileges on affected macOS systems running iStats 7.10.4. This can lead to complete system compromise, including unauthorized access to sensitive data, installation of persistent malware, disabling of security controls, and disruption of system availability. For European organizations, especially those in sectors with high macOS usage such as creative industries, software development, and certain government agencies, this vulnerability poses a critical risk. Attackers could leverage this flaw to move laterally within networks, escalate privileges on critical endpoints, and potentially exfiltrate confidential information or disrupt operations. The vulnerability's exploitation does not require user interaction or authentication, increasing the risk of automated or insider attacks. Given the lack of known public exploits, the threat is currently theoretical but could rapidly escalate once exploit code becomes available. The impact is magnified in environments where local user accounts are shared or poorly controlled, such as in educational institutions or collaborative workspaces common in Europe.

To mitigate CVE-2025-11921, European organizations should immediately restrict local user access on macOS systems running iStats 7.10.4, ensuring that only trusted users have local login capabilities. Implement strict user account controls and monitor for unusual command execution or privilege escalation attempts via system logs and endpoint detection tools. Disable or restrict the vulnerable XPC service if possible, pending an official patch from Bjango. Employ application whitelisting to prevent unauthorized execution of commands and consider using macOS security features such as System Integrity Protection (SIP) to limit root-level modifications. Regularly audit installed software versions and remove or update vulnerable applications promptly. Engage with Bjango for updates or patches and test any fixes in controlled environments before deployment. Additionally, educate users about the risks of local privilege escalation and enforce strong physical security controls to prevent unauthorized local access to devices.