Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessObtain local user access on macOS host
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DeliveryLocate Sophos privileged helper interface
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ExploitInvoke improperly authorized operation
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ExecutionExecute arbitrary code as root
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ImpactFull host compromise and lateral movement
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A01:2025 - Broken Access Control
ASVS 5.0
V8 - Authorization Authorization verification
MITRE ATT&CK
1 technique across 1 tactic: Defense Evasion The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Exploitation Conditions | Exploitation requires local access to a macOS system running a vulnerable build - Sophos Endpoint for macOS older than 2026.1.1 or Sophos Home for macOS older than 10.11.6 - with the Sophos security agent installed and running (its privileged helper/daemon must be present, which is the default for any protected endpoint). Per the CVSS vector no authentication or privileges are needed beyond the ability to run code locally (PR:N, UI:N), and no special product configuration is called out in the description. The primary limiting factor is the local-access requirement (AV:L): a purely remote, unauthenticated attacker cannot trigger this directly and must first gain a local foothold; hosts already patched to the fixed versions or not running the Sophos macOS agent are not exploitable. |
| Impact | The CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H, base 9.3) describes a low-complexity local attack requiring no privileges and no user interaction, with a scope change reflecting escalation to root - an unusually severe LPE profile. Real-world risk is bounded by the local-access prerequisite: an attacker must already have some presence on the macOS host (a standard user account, a phished session, or a foothold from another bug), making this a powerful post-exploitation and lateral-movement primitive rather than a remote entry point. No EPSS score, KEV listing, or POC was provided, so there is no evidence of active exploitation and no public exploit identified at time of analysis. The vendor tags 'RCE' and 'Authentication Bypass' appear to overstate the vector, since the CVSS is explicitly local (AV:L) and the mechanism is an authorization bypass rather than network RCE - rely on the AV:L vector over the tag labels. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker who has obtained a low-privileged local account on a macOS host - for example through phishing, a stolen laptop, or a foothold from a separate application bug - invokes the improperly authorized privileged interface of the Sophos agent and executes their own code as root. No user interaction or additional credentials are required (AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N), and while no public exploit is identified at this time, the low attack complexity suggests reliable exploitation is feasible once the interface is understood. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Aug 06, 2026
Local privilege escalation in Sophos Endpoint for macOS (before 2026.1.1) and Sophos Home for macOS (before 10.11.6) allows any local user to execute arbitrary code with root privileges. The flaw stems from improper authorization (CWE-285) in the security agent's privileged components, so a low-privileged or unprivileged local account can fully compromise the host. No public exploit identified at time of analysis, but the CVSS 9.3 rating and scope change to root make this a high-priority patch for macOS fleets.
RemediationAI
Vendor-released patch: upgrade Sophos Endpoint for macOS to 2026.1.1 or later, and Sophos Home for macOS to 10.11.6 or later; managed Sophos Endpoint installations typically auto-update via Sophos Central, so verify the deployed agent version across the macOS fleet and force policy/update checks on any endpoints still below the fixed builds. Consult the advisory at https://www.sophos.com/security-advisories/sophos-sa-20260806-ep-macos-lpe for authoritative fix details. No vendor workaround is documented; because the vulnerable component is the security agent itself, the only reliable compensating control until patching is to tighten local access - restrict interactive and standard-user logins on affected Macs, limit which accounts can run code locally, and monitor for unexpected root-level process creation originating from Sophos helper processes. Note the trade-off: uninstalling or disabling the agent to avoid the flaw would remove endpoint protection entirely and is not advised; patching is strongly preferred.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 2 packages in euvd
Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.
Technical ContextAI · show details
Sophos Endpoint and Sophos Home are endpoint protection (anti-malware/EDR) products that install privileged helper daemons and system extensions on macOS to perform scanning, kernel-level interception, and self-protection. These components run as root and expose IPC/helper interfaces to lower-privileged processes. CWE-285 (Improper Authorization) indicates that one of these privileged interfaces fails to correctly verify that the caller is authorized before performing a sensitive action, letting a local process invoke a privileged operation it should not reach. Because macOS security agents deliberately hold elevated entitlements, an authorization gap in them collapses the OS privilege boundary and yields root-level code execution.
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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
Any local user can trigger it with no privileges or interaction (AV:L/PR:N/UI:N/AC:L), escalating out of context to full root control (S:C, C:H/I:H/A:H).
Primary rating from Vendor (sophos).
CVSS VectorVendor: sophos
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
A privilege escalation vulnerability allows local users to execute arbitrary code as root via Sophos Endpoint for macOS older than version 2026.1.1 and Sophos Home for macOS older than version 10.11.6.
Executive ViewAI
Sophos Endpoint for macOS (versions before 2026.1.1) and Sophos Home for macOS (versions before 10.11.6) contain a critical local privilege escalation vulnerability enabling any unprivileged user to execute code with root access, fully compromising affected systems. This transforms the deployed security product into a direct attack vector for any user with local access. Immediate inventory and remediation planning is required for all macOS endpoints.
No vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis. Interim mitigations include: disabling vulnerable security agent components if operationally feasible without compromising required protections; deploying complementary EDR or extended detection and response (XDR) solutions to monitor for exploitation; implementing strict local access controls and privileged account management; network segmentation to limit lateral movement; or evaluating replacement endpoint protection solutions if Sophos support cannot restore trust.
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
Authentication bypass attacks exploit flaws in the verification mechanisms that control access to systems and applications.
Privilege escalation occurs when an attacker leverages flaws in access control mechanisms to gain permissions beyond what they were originally granted.
Remote Code Execution represents the critical moment when an attacker successfully runs arbitrary code on a target system without physical access.
The get_referers function in /opt/ws/bin/sblistpack in Sophos Web Appliance before 3.7.9.1 and 3.8 before 3.8.1.1 allows
Multiple stack-based buffer overflows in the (1) send_dg and (2) send_vc functions in the libresolv library in the GNU C
The Change Password dialog box (change_password) in Sophos Web Appliance before 3.8.2 allows remote authenticated users
The network interface configuration page (netinterface) in Sophos Web Appliance before 3.8.2 allows remote administrator
Directory traversal vulnerability in patience.cgi in Sophos Web Appliance before 3.7.8.2 allows remote attackers to read
The Gzip file parser in AVG Anti-Virus 10.0.0.1190, Bitdefender 7.2, Command Antivirus 5.2.11.5, Emsisoft Anti-Malware 5
An SQL injection vulnerability in the WebAdmin of Cyberoam OS through 2020-12-04 allows unauthenticated attackers to exe
The TAR file parser in AhnLab V3 Internet Security 2011.01.18.00, Avira AntiVir 7.11.1.163, Antiy Labs AVL SDK 2.0.3.7,
The CAB file parser in Dr.Web 5.0.2.03300, Trend Micro HouseCall 9.120.0.1004, Kaspersky Anti-Virus 7.0.0.125, Sophos An
The resend_bytes function in roaming_common.c in the client in OpenSSH 5.x, 6.x, and 7.x before 7.1p2 allows remote serv
A remote code execution vulnerability exists in the WebAdmin of Sophos SG UTM before v9.705 MR5, v9.607 MR7, and v9.511
In Sophos Web Appliance (SWA) before 4.3.1.2, a section of the machine's interface responsible for generating reports wa
EUVD-2026-54262
GHSA-qf3w-qfqh-77ch
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
VulDB
Exploit-DB