CVE-2017-16928

HIGH

Arq < 5.10 - Local Privilege Escalation via Crafted Update URL

Title source: llm
STIX 2.1

Exploitation Summary

EIP tracks 1 public exploit for CVE-2017-16928. PoCs published by Mark Wadham.

AI-analyzed exploit summary This exploit targets a local privilege escalation vulnerability in Arq <= 5.10 by manipulating backup files and HMAC values to overwrite the root user's crontab, ultimately achieving root access.

Description

The arq_updater binary in Arq 5.10 and earlier for Mac allows local users to write to arbitrary files and consequently gain root privileges via a crafted update URL, as demonstrated by file:///tmp/blah/Arq.zip.

Exploits (1)

exploitdb WORKING POC
by Mark Wadham · rubylocalmacos
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/43925

This exploit targets a local privilege escalation vulnerability in Arq <= 5.10 by manipulating backup files and HMAC values to overwrite the root user's crontab, ultimately achieving root access.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Lpe
Complexity
Complex
Reliability
Reliable
Target: Arq <= 5.10
Auth required
Prerequisites: Local access to the target system · Arq backup software installed and configured · Ability to execute the exploit script
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →

References (3)

Core 3
Core References
Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry exploit x_refsource_exploit-db
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/43925/
Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry x_refsource_misc
http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/146158/Arq-5.10-Local-Privilege-Escalation.html

Scores

CVSS v3 7.8
EPSS 0.0101
EPSS Percentile 58.4%
Attack Vector LOCAL
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Details

CWE
CWE-732
Status published
Products (1)
haystacksoftware/arq < 5.10
Published Jan 31, 2018
Tracked Since Feb 18, 2026