Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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ReconDeliver or launch untrusted app locally
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DeliveryApp executes as standard user
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ExploitTrigger flawed access-control check
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InstallBypass privilege validation
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C2Gain root privileges
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ExecuteDisable security controls and persist
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ImpactFull host compromise
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A01:2025 - Broken Access Control
ASVS 5.0
V8 - Authorization Access control enforcement
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 the ability to execute a program locally on the target Mac under a standard (non-privileged) user account - the CVSS vector PR:L/UI:N confirms low privileges are sufficient and that no additional user interaction beyond launching the application is needed. The specific macOS feature or component whose access-control check is faulty is not named in the advisory, so defenders cannot restrict a single named facility; the practical precondition is untrusted local code execution on an unpatched system (macOS below 15.8, 26.7, or 27). Exploitation is limited by the absence of any remote vector - an attacker cannot reach this flaw over the network, must first land code on the host, and must defeat Gatekeeper/notarization prompts to introduce that code on default-configured systems. Fully patched machines, and deployments where managed Macs only run allowlisted notarized applications, are not exposed. |
| Impact | The CVSS 3.1 vector AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H (7.8) describes a local, low-complexity attack requiring only low privileges and no user interaction beyond launching the application, with total confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact on the host. Those metrics are internally consistent and, importantly, CISA's SSVC evaluation rates exploitation as 'none' and automatable as 'no' - meaning there is no confirmed in-the-wild activity and no evidence that the step can be reliably automated at scale - while EPSS and KEV data are absent from the supplied intelligence. That combination makes this a genuine but post-compromise escalation primitive: it is only reachable after an attacker already has code execution as a local user, so it amplifies existing footholds rather than providing initial access. Consequently, a mid-sized operator such as a municipal IT team in boleslawiec should prioritise patching managed fleets but need not treat this as an emergency edge-facing exposure, since there is no remote vector and no confirmed exploitation; note additionally that EPSS and KEV status were not provided, so the real-world exploitation signal is incomplete rather than negative. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker who already has a foothold on a Mac - for example through a malicious application, a trojanised installer, or a compromised user session - runs a crafted program that abuses the flawed access-control check to perform a privileged operation. Because the vector is AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N, the program needs no further interaction and no admin credentials once executing, and successful exploitation yields root, enabling persistence, disabling of security controls, and full read/write access to all user data on the host. No publicly available exploit code has been identified at time of analysis. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Sep 15, 2026
Local privilege escalation in Apple macOS lets an application running with standard user privileges obtain root, giving an attacker full control of the host once code executes on the machine. The flaw is an improper access-control check (CWE-284) that Apple addressed with improved validation logic, fixed in macOS Sequoia 15.8, macOS Tahoe 26.7, and macOS Golden Gate 27. No public exploit code has been identified and the vulnerability is not in CISA KEV; CISA's SSVC assessment rates exploitation as 'none' and automatable as 'no', so risk is concentrated in environments where untrusted local code can be executed.
RemediationAI
Apply the vendor-released patches: update to macOS Sequoia 15.8, macOS Tahoe 26.7, or macOS Golden Gate 27 depending on the installed release line - Apple's advisories at https://support.apple.com/en-us/149035, https://support.apple.com/en-us/149042, and https://support.apple.com/en-us/149043 document the fixes and should be consulted for the exact build numbers per platform. Until fleets are fully updated, compensating controls are necessarily behavioural rather than technical, because the flaw is triggered by local code execution: enforce Gatekeeper and notarization so unsigned or unnotarized applications cannot be launched without explicit admin approval (trade-off: legitimate internal or developer tooling will be blocked unless allowlisted), manage application allowlisting through MDM so only vetted bundles execute on managed Macs (trade-off: significant administration overhead and false-positive blocking of approved tools), and keep standard, non-admin user accounts as the default so a user-context compromise cannot immediately persist as an administrator (trade-off: users will require help-desk elevation for legitimate admin tasks). Restricting the population of users permitted to run arbitrary local software, and monitoring for unexpected setuid or privileged-helper activity, reduces exposure until patching completes.
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 root cause class is CWE-284 (Improper Access Control): a privilege boundary in macOS grants root-level operations without adequately validating the caller's authorization, so a process that should be confined to user context can perform privileged actions. The NVD CPE string is a wildcard (cpe:2.3:a:apple:macos:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*) and EUVD narrows the affected range to macOS builds prior to 15.8, 26.7, and 27, meaning the defect is shared across the Sequoia, Tahoe, and Golden Gate code lines rather than isolated to one release. Because the attack vector is local and the impact is a full root compromise of the same system, the affected component is most plausibly a user-facing service, helper tool, or framework that mediates privileged operations rather than a network daemon; the exact subsystem is not disclosed in the advisory, which only states that the issue was 'addressed with improved checks'.
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Severity by source
AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Attack is purely local with low complexity, requiring only a user-context app and no further interaction, so AV:L, AC:L, PR:L, UI:N with total host impact.
Primary rating from Vendor (apple).
CVSS VectorVendor: apple
Lifecycle Timeline
4DescriptionCVE.org
This issue was addressed with improved checks. This issue is fixed in macOS Golden Gate 27, macOS Sequoia 15.8, macOS Tahoe 26.7. An app may be able to gain root privileges.
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
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EUVD-2026-78035
GHSA-3p94-98w5-cmg9
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
Exploit-DB