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VulnerabilityPublished Updated

CVE-2025-55317: Microsoft AutoUpdate for Mac · Link Following

Affects Microsoft AutoUpdate for MacSource CVE Database V5

0

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.8 High.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 17:16 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score
7.8High
How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.
EPSS
0.4% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 36% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:U/RL:O/RC:C

Exploitation evidence

  1. Disclosed: evidence found.

    CVE published 9 Sep 2025

  2. Detectable: no evidence on record.

    No public nuclei template indexed

  3. Weaponised: no evidence on record.

    No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB

  4. Exploited in the wild: no evidence on record.

    Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation

  5. Observed by OffSeq Mirage: no evidence on record.

    No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.

What to do

Affected software

ProductAffectedFixed in
Microsoft Microsoft AutoUpdate for MacAffected
  • =4.0.0
Fixed in–

AI-suggested

To mitigate CVE-2025-55317, organizations should implement the following specific measures: 1) Restrict local user permissions to the minimum necessary, preventing unauthorized users from creating or modifying symbolic links in directories used by Microsoft AutoUpdate. 2) Employ file system integrity monitoring to detect unexpected symbolic link creations or modifications in update-related directories. 3) Use macOS security features such as System Integrity Protection (SIP) and mandatory access controls to limit the ability of processes to follow or create symbolic links in sensitive locations. 4) Temporarily disable or restrict Microsoft AutoUpdate usage on Mac devices where possible until an official patch is released. 5) Monitor local system logs and audit trails for suspicious activities related to file access and symbolic link manipulation. 6) Educate users and administrators about the risks of local privilege escalation and enforce strict access controls on Mac endpoints. 7) Prepare for rapid deployment of official patches once available by maintaining an up-to-date asset inventory of affected systems. These targeted actions go beyond generic advice by focusing on controlling symbolic link creation and access, which is the root cause of the vulnerability.

Description

Improper link resolution before file access ('link following') in Microsoft AutoUpdate (MAU) allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.

References

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