CVE-2026-112531 in macOS
Summary
by MITRE • 10/26/2026
A use after free issue was addressed with improved memory management. 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.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/26/2026
The vulnerability described constitutes a use-after-free error, a critical class of memory safety issues that arise when software continues to reference a pointer after the memory it points to has been deallocated or freed. In this specific instance, addressed through improved memory management protocols within Apple's operating systems, an application was able to trigger unexpected system termination by exploiting this flaw. The root cause lies in the failure to properly manage the lifecycle of allocated memory blocks, allowing a process to access data that is no longer valid or has been repurposed for other operations. This type of defect typically stems from logic errors where references are not invalidated immediately after deallocation, creating a window of opportunity for malicious actors to manipulate system state through dangling pointers.
From a technical perspective, use-after-free vulnerabilities can lead to severe consequences ranging from denial-of-service conditions to arbitrary code execution. In the context provided, the immediate impact is observed as unexpected system termination, which represents a denial-of-service scenario where the stability and availability of the macOS environment are compromised. However, such flaws often carry deeper risks if exploited with precision. An attacker could potentially craft specific inputs or sequences of operations that cause the freed memory to be reallocated for sensitive data, thereby allowing them to read confidential information from other processes or applications running on the same system. Alternatively, by controlling the content written into the reused memory block before it is accessed again, an attacker might achieve arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the affected process, potentially escalating to kernel-level access depending on the context in which the vulnerability occurs within the macOS architecture.
This issue aligns closely with Common Weakness Enumeration identifier CWE-416, which specifically defines use after free as a condition where software uses memory after it has been freed. The operational impact described here highlights the importance of robust memory management practices in modern operating systems to prevent such race conditions and logic errors from destabilizing core system functions. Apple's remediation strategy involved enhancing internal checks and ensuring that pointers are nullified or otherwise neutralized immediately following deallocation, thereby preventing subsequent access attempts from succeeding. This approach mitigates both the denial-of-service vector by stabilizing memory handling and reduces the attack surface for more sophisticated exploitation techniques that rely on predictable memory states.
Security professionals should view this update as a critical patching requirement for all systems running macOS Golden Gate 27.2, macOS Sequoia 15.8.2, or macOS Tahoe 26.7.2 and later versions. The mitigation relies entirely on the vendor's implementation of stricter memory management controls rather than user-side configuration changes. Organizations must ensure that their deployment pipelines prioritize these updates to maintain system integrity and availability. Furthermore, monitoring for anomalous process terminations or crashes in applications interacting with core macOS services can serve as an indicator of potential exploitation attempts targeting this vulnerability before patches are fully deployed across all endpoints. Adhering to strict patch management policies is essential to closing the gap between vulnerability disclosure and remediation, thereby protecting against both accidental instability and targeted attacks leveraging memory corruption flaws.