Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessCraft malicious directory path with traversal sequences
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DeliveryExploit path parsing vulnerability in sandbox validation
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ExploitEscape application sandbox restrictions
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ExecutionAccess system resources outside sandbox
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ImpactExecute arbitrary code with elevated privileges
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A01:2025 - Broken Access Control
ASVS 5.0
V5 - File Handling Path canonicalization, traversal prevention
MITRE ATT&CK
2 techniques across 2 tactics: Discovery, Collection The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Exploitation Conditions | Local attacker with ability to execute an app on macOS Sequoia (before 15.7.5), Sonoma (before 14.8.5), or Tahoe (before 26.4). The vulnerable app exploits a path traversal flaw to escape sandbox restrictions. No user interaction required. |
| Impact | This vulnerability carries significant real-world risk despite the absence of published CVSS, CVSS vector, and EPSS scores. Sandbox escape vulnerabilities are historically prioritized by attackers and security researchers because they represent a fundamental breach of macOS security architecture. The fact that Apple released patches across three major macOS versions (Sequoia 15.7.5, Sonoma 14.8.5, and Tahoe 26.4) indicates widespread impact and demonstrates vendor recognition of severity. Without KEV status confirmation or public proof-of-concept details from the references provided, the actual exploitation likelihood in the wild remains uncertain; however, the technical impact of sandbox escape is universally high—an attacker who escapes the sandbox gains access to protected system resources, user files, and inter-process communication mechanisms. This vulnerability should be treated as a priority patch target using the SSVC framework due to its technical impact (sandbox bypass = high), likelihood of automatable exploitation once public details emerge, and potential for active exploitation in targeted attacks. Organizations should prioritize patching over other lower-impact vulnerabilities. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker distributes a trojanized application through unofficial channels that, once installed and granted basic permissions by the user, exploits the path validation flaw to escape the sandbox. The malicious app could then enumerate the user's file system, exfiltrate sensitive documents, access keychain credentials, or install persistence mechanisms without triggering sandbox alerts. The attack requires user interaction to install the app but no special privileges, as the vulnerability exists in the kernel-level sandbox enforcement mechanism rather than in individual application logic. Given the parsing nature of the flaw, exploitation likely involves crafting specially-formed file paths at runtime to deceive the sandbox validation layer, making the attack difficult to detect through static analysis alone. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Mar 25, 2026
Improper path validation in macOS (Sequoia 15.7.5, Sonoma 14.8.5, and Tahoe 26.4) allows sandboxed applications to escape their sandbox restrictions through directory path traversal. A local attacker with the ability to run malicious apps can exploit this weakness to execute code outside sandbox boundaries with full system privileges. No patch is currently available for this critical vulnerability.
Earlier versions of this analysis (1)
A path validation vulnerability in macOS allows sandboxed applications to escape their sandbox restrictions through improper handling of directory paths during parsing operations. This vulnerability affects macOS Sequoia, Sonoma, and Tahoe across multiple versions, enabling malicious or compromised applications to break out of sandbox confinement and potentially access restricted system resources or user data. Apple has released patches addressing this issue, and while CVSS and EPSS data are not publicly available, the sandbox escape capability represents a critical privilege escalation risk.
RemediationAI
Immediately upgrade to macOS Sequoia 15.7.5, macOS Sonoma 14.8.5, or macOS Tahoe 26.4 or later, depending on your current operating system version. Visit Apple's security advisory pages (https://support.apple.com/en-us/126794, https://support.apple.com/en-us/126795, https://support.apple.com/en-us/126796) to confirm patch availability and download options. For users unable to patch immediately, restrict the execution and permissions of third-party applications by enforcing System Integrity Protection (SIP) and reviewing sandbox entitlements of installed applications via the security tools in macOS System Preferences. Monitor system logs for suspicious cross-process activity or file access patterns that could indicate sandbox escape attempts. After patching, verify that all security updates have been applied by checking System Settings > General > About and confirming the OS build number matches the patched version.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 1 package in euvd
Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.
Technical ContextAI · show details
The vulnerability stems from inadequate path validation logic in the macOS kernel or system frameworks responsible for enforcing sandbox boundaries. Path parsing operations are fundamental to sandbox policy enforcement, which uses directory-level access controls to restrict application capabilities. The flaw likely involves insufficient canonicalization or validation of symbolic links, relative path traversal sequences (../, .), or other path manipulation techniques that could deceive the sandbox validation logic. The affected products are identified via CPE (cpe:2.3:a:apple:macos:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*), indicating the vulnerability affects the macOS operating system across multiple versions rather than a discrete application. The root cause aligns with CWE-22 (Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory) or similar path traversal weaknesses, where insufficient input validation allows attackers to access resources outside intended boundaries.
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- Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources
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Severity by source
AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
Primary rating from NVD · only source for this CVE.
CVSS VectorNVD
Lifecycle Timeline
3DescriptionCVE.org
A parsing issue in the handling of directory paths was addressed with improved path validation. This issue is fixed in macOS Sequoia 15.7.5, macOS Sonoma 14.8.5, macOS Tahoe 26.4. An app may be able to break out of its sandbox.
Executive ViewAI
A critical sandbox escape vulnerability in macOS (Sequoia 15.7.5, Sonoma 14.8.5, Tahoe 26.4) allows locally-installed malicious applications to break out of security restrictions and gain full system privileges, bypassing Apple's core application containment model. This directly threatens organizations running macOS endpoints, as any user who installs or downloads a compromised app can inadvertently grant attackers administrative control over the entire system.
Pending vendor patch availability. Interim mitigations: enforce application allowlist/blocklist policies to restrict third-party app installation; disable user admin privileges where operationally feasible; implement endpoint detection and response (EDR) monitoring for unusual process execution and privilege escalation attempts; require administrator approval for software installation; conduct user awareness training on app download risks from untrusted sources.
Threat Intelligence Overview
How this decision was reached
The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
Path traversal exploits occur when applications use user-controlled input to construct file system paths without proper validation.
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EUVD-2026-15097
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
VulDB
GitHub PoC
Exploit-DB