CVE-2026-112424 in macOS
Summary
by MITRE • 10/26/2026
An out-of-bounds read was addressed with improved bounds checking. This issue is fixed in macOS Golden Gate 27.2, macOS Sequoia 15.8.2, macOS Tahoe 26.7.2. An app may be able to cause unexpected system termination or read kernel memory.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/26/2026
The vulnerability addressed involves an out-of-bounds read condition within the operating system's core components, specifically resolved through enhanced bounds checking mechanisms in recent updates for macOS Golden Gate 27.2, macOS Sequoia 15.8.2, and macOS Tahoe 26.7.2. This type of flaw typically arises when a software routine accesses memory locations that lie outside the intended buffer boundaries without proper validation. In the context of operating system kernels or privileged subsystems, such errors are particularly severe because they bypass standard application-level isolation protections. The root cause is often attributed to insufficient verification of array indices, pointer arithmetic, or data structure lengths before accessing underlying memory regions. By implementing stricter bounds checking during runtime execution, Apple has ensured that any attempt to read from invalid memory addresses triggers a controlled exception rather than allowing the unauthorized access to proceed silently.
From a technical perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-125, which defines out-of-bounds read as accessing data outside of buffer boundaries without writing to it. While out-of-bounds writes are often associated with code execution risks, out-of-bounds reads primarily facilitate information disclosure and system instability. An attacker leveraging this flaw could potentially extract sensitive kernel memory contents that contain cryptographic keys, session tokens, or other confidential user data. Furthermore, the act of reading invalid memory can corrupt processor state or trigger undefined behavior in subsequent operations, leading to unexpected system termination. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1083, which covers file and directory discovery, although in this case, the target is kernel memory rather than standard files. The ability to read arbitrary kernel memory represents a significant escalation of privilege potential if combined with other vulnerabilities or exploitation techniques that allow for information gathering prior to further compromise steps such as process injection or hooking.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond mere data leakage. As noted in the advisory, an application may be able to cause unexpected system termination. This indicates that the out-of-bounds read can destabilize critical kernel structures, leading to panics or crashes that disrupt service availability for all users on the affected systems. In a multi-tenant environment or even on personal devices where multiple applications run concurrently, one compromised app could degrade the stability of the entire operating system by triggering these faults. This denial-of-service aspect reduces trust in the platform's reliability and can be used as part of a broader attack chain to distract security monitoring tools while other malicious activities occur in the background. The severity is heightened because kernel-level memory access requires no special privileges for reading if bounds checks are bypassed, making it accessible to any locally running application that finds an entry point into the vulnerable code path.
Mitigation strategies primarily rely on applying the provided software updates which contain the corrected bounds checking logic. Administrators and users should ensure their systems are updated to macOS Golden Gate 27.2, Sequoia 15.8.2, or Tahoe 26.7.2 immediately upon availability. Beyond patching, defense-in-depth measures such as enabling Kernel Address Space Layout Randomization (KASLR) can mitigate the effectiveness of information disclosure by making it harder for attackers to predict memory addresses even if they manage to leak some data. Additionally, enforcing strict code signing requirements and sandboxing policies limits the attack surface available to malicious applications attempting to trigger these kernel routines. Security monitoring tools should be configured to detect abnormal system crashes or unexpected termination events that may indicate exploitation attempts of this vulnerability in real-time. Regular auditing of application permissions and minimizing the privileges granted to third-party software further reduces the likelihood of successful exploitation by limiting the contexts in which vulnerable code paths can be reached.