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macOS AFP Client EUVDEUVD-2026-77899

| CVE-2026-43815 HIGH
Out-of-bounds Write (CWE-787)
2026-09-14 apple GHSA-85ff-jrm6-jh74
8.8
CVSS 3.1 · NVD
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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Stand up malicious afpfs server
  2. Delivery
    Lure victim to connect (afp:// link)
  3. Exploit
    Client parses crafted server response
  4. Execution
    Trigger out-of-bounds write in kernel
  5. Impact
    Corrupt kernel memory / execute code

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Bounds checking, write limits
MITRE ATT&CK

2 techniques across 2 tactics: Execution, Privilege Escalation

The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up.

Exploitation Conditions

Exploitation requires the victim to actively connect their macOS AFP client (afpfs) to an attacker-controlled 'malicious afpfs server' - this is the exact prerequisite named in the description and corresponds to the UI:R metric. The attacker cannot trigger it remotely without victim action; risk is limited to environments where users mount or connect to untrusted AFP/Apple Filing Protocol shares (e.g. via afp:// links, 'Connect to Server', or attacker-controlled network file servers). Systems running the patched builds (macOS Sequoia 15.7.8, Sonoma 14.8.8, or Tahoe 26.6) are not affected. No authentication of the victim is needed (PR:N), but the social/network requirement to induce the connection is the primary limiting factor.

Impact

This is a genuine but conditional client-side kernel vulnerability rather than a broadly wormable network flaw. The CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H, base 8.8) shows the network vector and lack of authentication, but the UI:R requirement is the decisive limiter: exploitation depends on the victim actively connecting their macOS AFP client to an attacker-controlled afpfs server - the attacker cannot reach out and trigger it unsolicited. Real-world risk signals are modest and consistent: EPSS is 0.20% (10th percentile), there is no CISA KEV listing (no confirmed active exploitation) and no public exploit code identified at time of analysis, so this is 'no public exploit identified at time of analysis.' The C:H/I:H/A:H impact is Apple's standard scoring for a kernel memory-corruption primitive; the description only states corruption 'may lead' to compromise, so full confidentiality/integrity code-execution impact is asserted rather than demonstrated. Net: a legitimately-severe kernel bug worth patching promptly on any fleet where users connect to untrusted AFP shares, but not an emergency mass-exploitation scenario. No data conflicts - the CVSS network vector is consistent with the AFP-server attack model, and low EPSS with no KEV points to unweaponized, socially-gated risk.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker stands up a malicious AFP (Apple Filing Protocol) file server and lures a macOS user into connecting to it - for example via a crafted afp:// link, a spoofed network share, or a malicious 'Connect to Server' prompt. When the victim's afpfs kernel client parses the malicious server responses, a buffer overflow triggers an out-of-bounds write corrupting kernel memory, potentially escalating to kernel-level code execution or a system crash. No public proof-of-concept or exploit code is currently identified, and the user must actively initiate the connection (UI:R).

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
Patch available 0.2% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Sep 16, 2026

Kernel memory corruption in the macOS Apple Filing Protocol client (afpfs) can be triggered when a user connects to a malicious AFP server, for example by following an afp:// link or using 'Connect to Server'; the underlying out-of-bounds write is fixed in macOS Sequoia 15.7.8, macOS Sonoma 14.8.8 and macOS Tahoe 26.6. Exploitation is conditional rather than broadly wormable: the attacker is unauthenticated (PR:N) but must still induce the victim to initiate the AFP connection (UI:R), and any host running the patched builds is not affected. No public exploit code or confirmed active exploitation has been identified at time of analysis, and EPSS is low at 0.20% (10th percentile), so this is a genuine but socially mediated client-side kernel flaw rather than a mass-exploitation candidate.

RemediationAI

Vendor-released patch is available: upgrade to macOS Sequoia 15.7.8, macOS Sonoma 14.8.8, or macOS Tahoe 26.6, per Apple advisories https://support.apple.com/en-us/128067, https://support.apple.com/en-us/128071 and https://support.apple.com/en-us/128072; these builds are the only complete fix, since the flaw is in the privileged AFP client and cannot be fully mitigated by network filtering alone. Because the trigger is the user's own connection to an attacker-controlled AFP server, the most effective compensating controls are behavioural and configuration-based: block or monitor outbound AFP traffic (TCP 548) at the network edge and remove or alert on afp:// URL handlers so untrusted links cannot silently initiate mounts, at the cost of breaking legitimate access to any genuinely required legacy AFP shares; alternatively, retire AFP entirely in favour of SMB where operationally possible, noting that AFP is deprecated and disabling the client may stop other software that depends on it from working. On managed fleets, restrict 'Connect to Server' workflows to approved hosts and treat user-visible prompts as a social-engineering vector, accepting that these controls reduce but do not eliminate risk until patches are deployed; no alternative vendor mitigation is documented, and EPSS (0.20%) and the absence of public exploit code mean prioritisation should follow normal Apple security-update cadence rather than emergency response.

Affected VersionsENISA

macOS 0 <26.6
macOS 0 <14.8.8
macOS 0 <15.7.8

Affected Packages

euvd macos fix: 14.8.8, 15.7.8, 26.6

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 Apple Filing Protocol (AFP) is Apple's legacy network file-sharing protocol, and afpfs is the client-side component in macOS that handles mounting and communicating with AFP servers; parsing of server-supplied data occurs in a privileged kernel context, which is why a flaw here becomes kernel memory corruption rather than an application crash. This issue is a CWE-787 out-of-bounds write: insufficient bounds checking on data received from a remote AFP server allows a write past the end of an intended buffer, corrupting adjacent kernel memory and potentially enabling denial of service, elevated integrity impact or further kernel-level compromise at the attacker's discretion. Apple's fix is described as 'improved bounds checking', i.e. input validation and length enforcement on the affected parsing path. CPE coverage is cpe:2.3:a:apple:macos:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*, and the CVSS vector AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U confirms this is reachable over the network without attacker credentials, but only after the victim's AFP client is pointed at the attacker's server, so the user-interaction prerequisite is a defining characteristic of the flaw rather than a formality.

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  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

NVD PRIMARY 8.8 HIGH
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
vuln.today AI 8.3 HIGH

Network AFP-client attack needing victim-initiated connection (UI:R), kernel corruption yields strong integrity/availability impact but confidentiality is unproven (C:L), no scope change (S:U).

3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:H/A:H
4.0 AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:L/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Primary rating from NVD.

CVSS VectorNVD

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

Lifecycle Timeline

4
CVSS changed
Sep 16, 2026 - 17:52 NVD
8.8 (HIGH)
Patch available
Sep 14, 2026 - 22:19 EUVD
CVE Published
Sep 14, 2026 - 20:50 nvd
HIGH 8.8
CVE Published
Sep 14, 2026 - 20:50 cve.org
UNKNOWN (no severity yet)

DescriptionNVD

A buffer overflow was addressed with improved bounds checking. This issue is fixed in macOS Sequoia 15.7.8, macOS Sonoma 14.8.8, macOS Tahoe 26.6. Connecting to a malicious afpfs server may lead to kernel memory corruption.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

Apple has shipped fixes for a kernel-level memory corruption flaw in the macOS Apple Filing Protocol client (afpfs) that could let an attacker take control of the core operating system of an unpatched Mac. The flaw is only reachable when a user is persuaded to open an afp:// link or manually connect to a malicious file server, so exposure depends on user behavior rather than automated, network-spreading attacks. Because patched builds already exist and no public exploit or active exploitation has been identified, this is a manageable, routine-remediation risk for the macOS fleet rather than an emergency.

Business Impact: High
Compensating Controls

Apply vendor patch.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.2%
Top 90% exploitable
Prevalence
High
macOS is a widely deployed desktop OS, though afpfs client path is scoped
Data Quality
4 sources
Confidence: Medium

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.

SignalValue
Severity HIGH
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.2%
Patch available Yes
Active threat No
Deciding rule
HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived
Scheduled
Exploitation· derived
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable· derived
No
Human Impact
High

Priority Score

44
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +44
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

A buffer overflow occurs when a program writes more data to a memory buffer than it was allocated to hold, causing the excess data to spill into adjacent memory regions.

Memory corruption occurs when a program writes data beyond the boundaries of allocated memory regions or accesses memory in unintended ways, violating the integrity of the process's address space.

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