CVE-2026-112462 in macOS
Summary
by MITRE • 10/26/2026
A permissions issue was addressed with additional restrictions. This issue is fixed in macOS Golden Gate 27.2, macOS Sequoia 15.8.2, macOS Tahoe 26.7.2. A malicious application may be able to bypass Privacy preferences.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/27/2026
The vulnerability described involves a flaw in the privacy permission enforcement mechanisms within Apple's operating systems, specifically affecting versions prior to macOS Golden Gate 27.2, macOS Sequoia 15.8.2, and macOS Tahoe 26.7.2. This issue centers on how the system validates and enforces access controls for sensitive user data and hardware resources. The core technical flaw lies in a permissions bypass that allows malicious applications to circumvent standard privacy preferences without explicit user consent or proper authorization checks. In modern operating systems, privacy frameworks are designed to act as gatekeepers, ensuring that software can only access specific categories of information such as contacts, photos, location services, and camera feeds after the user has granted permission through a standardized dialog interface. When this validation logic is compromised, an application can programmatically request or retrieve data from these protected areas without triggering the expected security prompts or being denied by the system kernel.
From a technical perspective, this type of vulnerability typically stems from improper input validation or race conditions within the privilege escalation and access control subsystems. The operating system may fail to correctly verify the integrity of the application's entitlements or session context when processing requests for restricted resources. This could involve flaws in how sandbox profiles are applied or how inter-process communication channels handle permission assertions. By exploiting this weakness, an attacker can execute code that operates with higher privileges than intended, effectively breaking out of the restrictive environment designed to limit potential damage from compromised software. The bypass allows the malicious entity to read sensitive files, monitor user activity, or capture input data in real-time, all while appearing as a legitimate process within the system's resource manager.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe due to its direct implication on user privacy and data integrity. An attacker leveraging this flaw can exfiltrate personal information such as email contents, private messages, financial records stored locally, or biometric data if accessible through connected peripherals. Furthermore, access to camera and microphone feeds enables unauthorized surveillance capabilities, posing significant risks to individual safety and corporate security in enterprise environments where sensitive discussions may occur over video calls. The ability to bypass privacy preferences also undermines the trust model of the operating system, as users rely on these controls to maintain a boundary between their personal data and third-party software. This erosion of trust can lead to broader systemic vulnerabilities if attackers use this access to install additional malware or establish persistent backdoors that are difficult to detect using standard security monitoring tools.
Mitigation strategies primarily involve immediate patching through the official operating system updates provided by Apple, which address these specific permission checks and reinforce the validation logic within the privacy framework. Administrators should ensure that all endpoints running affected versions of macOS Golden Gate, Sequoia, or Tahoe are updated to their respective latest secure releases. In addition to software updates, organizations should enforce strict application whitelisting policies using tools like Apple's Managed Preferences or third-party endpoint detection and response solutions. These measures help prevent unauthorized applications from executing even if they attempt to exploit the vulnerability. Users should also be educated on reviewing app permissions regularly through system settings and avoiding the installation of unverified software that requests excessive access rights. Continuous monitoring for anomalous behavior, such as unexpected background processes accessing sensitive directories or hardware devices without user interaction, can provide an additional layer of defense against exploitation attempts targeting this class of privilege escalation flaws. This incident aligns with common vulnerability classifications found in industry standards, particularly those related to improper access control and security misconfigurations that allow unauthorized data retrieval.