ghsa-g3hp-f6mg-559v

CVSS 4.2 osv_swift
Description

## Summary AppInstaller post-stage-1 XPC listener accepts unvalidated connections, allowing spoofed appcast item data injection. ## Details `Autoupdate/AppInstaller.m`'s `shouldAcceptNewConnection:` only enforces `SUCodeSigningVerifier validateConnection:` before stage 1 completes. After `_performedStage1Installation = YES`, new connections to the registered Mach service `<bundleId>-spki` are accepted from any local process without team-ID or code-signing checks. The following chain of events enables an attacker to inject a spoofed `SPUSentUpdateAppcastItemData` payload: 1. Installer finishes unarchiving the update successfully (`_willCompleteInstallation` is set). 2. The app responsible for updating the bundle crashes or is forcefully quit before it has a chance to send `SPUSentUpdateAppcastItemData` to the installer. There is no user interaction between the prior step and this one, so the timing window is tight. 3. After stage 1 of the installer is performed (`_performedStage1Installation = YES`), but before final installation completes (since all services are cleaned up by then), an attacker process connects to the `<bundleId>-spki` Mach service - no code-signing validation is enforced - and sends a spoofed `SPUSentUpdateAppcastItemData` message containing an attacker-crafted `SUAppcastItem`. 4. A Sparkle-aware app that checks for updates on the bundle being updated launches before installation completes. The progress agent re-broadcasts the spoofed `SUAppcastItem` on its `<bundleId>-spks` status service, and the launching app displays attacker-controlled release notes (name, version, critical flag). Note: Sparkle can be used to update other app bundles, so the "app doing the updating" and the "app being updated" are not necessarily the same bundle. In the system-domain case (`SPUUsesSystemDomainForBundlePath = true`), the AppInstaller runs as root via `SMJobSubmit` to `kSMDomainSystemLaunchd`, and the Mach service is reachable by any local user process. Affected versions: 2.x branch including 2.9.1. ## Impact A local user-level process can inject a forged `SUAppcastItem` (arbitrary name, version, critical flag) into the progress agent's status broadcast. Other Sparkle-aware clients on the system will display attacker-controlled release notes as authoritative installation state. The integrity of the installed code is **not** affected - the bundle moved into place is the legitimate, signature-validated update from stage 1. The impact is limited to UI spoofing of installation metadata. ## Remediation Enforce `SUCodeSigningVerifier validateConnection:` on all new connections regardless of installation stage, or disallow `SPUSentUpdateAppcastItemData` after the active connection invalidates.

Timeline
Published
unknown
Last Modified
unknown
CVSS Details

CVSS details not available.

Affected Products

No product information available.

Weaknesses (CWE)
References
Linked Vulnerabilities

No linked vulnerabilities found.

{
  "affected": [
    {
      "database_specific": {
        "source": "https://github.com/github/advisory-database/blob/main/advisories/github-reviewed/2026/05/GHSA-g3hp-f6mg-559v/GHSA-g3hp-f6mg-559v.json"
      },
      "package": {
        "ecosystem": "SwiftURL",
        "name": "github.com/sparkle-project/Sparkle",
        "purl": "pkg:swift/github.com/sparkle-project/Sparkle"
      },
      "ranges": [
        {
          "events": [
            {
              "introduced": "0"
            },
            {
              "last_affected": "2.9.1"
            }
          ],
          "type": "SEMVER"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "aliases": [
    "CVE-2026-47122"
  ],
  "database_specific": {
    "cwe_ids": [
      "CWE-306",
      "CWE-441"
    ],
    "github_reviewed": true,
    "github_reviewed_at": "2026-05-29T19:47:19Z",
    "nvd_published_at": null,
    "severity": "MODERATE"
  },
  "details": "## Summary\n\nAppInstaller post-stage-1 XPC listener accepts unvalidated connections, allowing spoofed appcast item data injection.\n\n## Details\n\n`Autoupdate/AppInstaller.m`'s `shouldAcceptNewConnection:` only enforces `SUCodeSigningVerifier validateConnection:` before stage 1 completes. After `_performedStage1Installation = YES`, new connections to the registered Mach service `<bundleId>-spki` are accepted from any local process without team-ID or code-signing checks.\n\nThe following chain of events enables an attacker to inject a spoofed `SPUSentUpdateAppcastItemData` payload:\n\n1. Installer finishes unarchiving the update successfully (`_willCompleteInstallation` is set).\n2. The app responsible for updating the bundle crashes or is forcefully quit before it has a chance to send `SPUSentUpdateAppcastItemData` to the installer. There is no user interaction between the prior step and this one, so the timing window is tight.\n3. After stage 1 of the installer is performed (`_performedStage1Installation = YES`), but before final installation completes (since all services are cleaned up by then), an attacker process connects to the `<bundleId>-spki` Mach service - no code-signing validation is enforced - and sends a spoofed `SPUSentUpdateAppcastItemData` message containing an attacker-crafted `SUAppcastItem`.\n4. A Sparkle-aware app that checks for updates on the bundle being updated launches before installation completes. The progress agent re-broadcasts the spoofed `SUAppcastItem` on its `<bundleId>-spks` status service, and the launching app displays attacker-controlled release notes (name, version, critical flag).\n\nNote: Sparkle can be used to update other app bundles, so the \"app doing the updating\" and the \"app being updated\" are not necessarily the same bundle.\n\nIn the system-domain case (`SPUUsesSystemDomainForBundlePath = true`), the AppInstaller runs as root via `SMJobSubmit` to `kSMDomainSystemLaunchd`, and the Mach service is reachable by any local user process.\n\nAffected versions: 2.x branch including 2.9.1.\n\n## Impact\n\nA local user-level process can inject a forged `SUAppcastItem` (arbitrary name, version, critical flag) into the progress agent's status broadcast. Other Sparkle-aware clients on the system will display attacker-controlled release notes as authoritative installation state.\n\nThe integrity of the installed code is **not** affected - the bundle moved into place is the legitimate, signature-validated update from stage 1. The impact is limited to UI spoofing of installation metadata.\n\n## Remediation\n\nEnforce `SUCodeSigningVerifier validateConnection:` on all new connections regardless of installation stage, or disallow `SPUSentUpdateAppcastItemData` after the active connection invalidates.",
  "id": "GHSA-g3hp-f6mg-559v",
  "modified": "2026-09-10T03:50:46.751806526Z",
  "published": "2026-05-29T19:47:19Z",
  "references": [
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://github.com/sparkle-project/Sparkle/security/advisories/GHSA-g3hp-f6mg-559v"
    },
    {
      "type": "PACKAGE",
      "url": "https://github.com/sparkle-project/Sparkle"
    }
  ],
  "schema_version": "1.9.0",
  "severity": [
    {
      "score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:L/A:L",
      "type": "CVSS_V3"
    }
  ],
  "summary": "Sparkle's AppInstaller post-stage-1 XPC listener accepts unvalidated connections, allowing spoofed appcast item data injection"
}
View JSON API Download JSON