CVE-2019-12571
A vulnerability in the London Trust Media Private Internet Access (PIA) VPN Client v0.9.8 beta (build 02099) for macOS could allow an authenticated, local attacker to overwrite arbitrary files.
Does this matter?
High impact if exploited, but EPSS currently rates exploitation as unlikely (0.64%). Schedule it in the normal patch cycle and watch for a rise in EPSS or a public exploit.
Description
A vulnerability in the London Trust Media Private Internet Access (PIA) VPN Client v0.9.8 beta (build 02099) for macOS could allow an authenticated, local attacker to overwrite arbitrary files. When the client initiates a connection, the XML /tmp/pia-watcher.plist file is created. If the file exists, it will be truncated and the contents completely overwritten. This file is removed on disconnect. An unprivileged user can create a hard or soft link to arbitrary files owned by any user on the system, including root. This creates a denial of service condition and possible data loss if leveraged by a malicious local user.
- CVSS 3.0
- 7.1 HIGHCVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H
- EPSS
- 0.64% probability · 51th percentile
- Public exploits
- None in Exploit-DB
- CISA KEV
- Not listed
- Weakness
- CWE-59
- Affected
- londontrustmedia/private internet access vpn client
- Source
- cve@mitre.org
EPSS 0.6% since 27 October 2026; no change recorded yet. Points are recorded when the score first appears and whenever it moves by a percentage point or more.
References
- https://github.com/mirchr/security-research/blob/master/vulnerabilities/PIA/CVE-2019-12571.txtExploit, Third Party Advisory
- https://github.com/mirchr/security-research/blob/master/vulnerabilities/PIA/CVE-2019-12571.txtExploit, Third Party Advisory
Source: NVD record, EPSS from FIRST.org, KEV from CISA, exploits from Exploit-DB. Refreshed daily. Download this record as JSON.