CVE-2026-112542 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 app may be able to intercept network traffic.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/27/2026
The vulnerability described involves a permissions misconfiguration within the operating system that allows unauthorized applications to intercept network traffic. This type of flaw typically stems from insufficient access controls on critical system resources or APIs responsible for managing network connections and data transmission. When an application lacks proper restrictions, it can exploit these open pathways to capture sensitive information such as credentials, session tokens, or private communications before they are encrypted or after they have been decrypted by legitimate processes. The issue highlights a failure in the principle of least privilege, where applications are granted more access than necessary for their intended function, creating an attack surface that malicious actors can leverage.
From a technical perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-269, which refers to Improper Privilege Management. It may also relate to CWE-749 if the issue involves exposing sensitive information to unauthorized actors through improper access control mechanisms. In terms of adversary tactics, this behavior corresponds to MITRE ATT&CK technique T1048, Exfiltration Over Alternative Protocol, or potentially T1557, Adversary-in-the-Middle, depending on how the interception is executed and whether it involves active manipulation of traffic versus passive sniffing. The ability to intercept network traffic enables attackers to perform man-in-the-middle attacks, allowing them to decrypt communications, inject malicious content, or steal authentication credentials without detection by standard security monitoring tools that do not inspect application-level permissions deeply enough.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant for both individual users and enterprise environments. For end-users, it means that any installed app could potentially monitor their online activities, leading to privacy violations and potential identity theft. In corporate settings, the risk escalates as sensitive business data, intellectual property, and internal communications become vulnerable to interception by compromised or malicious software running on employee devices. This undermines trust in the operating system's security model and can lead to broader compliance failures with regulations such as GDPR, HIPAA, or PCI-DSS that require strict protection of personal and financial data during transmission.
Apple has addressed this permissions issue through additional restrictions implemented in macOS Golden Gate 27.2, macOS Sequoia 15.8.2, and macOS Tahoe 26.7.2. These updates likely involve tightening the sandboxing policies for applications, enforcing stricter code signing requirements, or modifying system-level APIs to require explicit user consent or elevated privileges for network interception capabilities. By restricting these permissions, Apple reduces the attack surface available to malicious apps that attempt to exploit such vulnerabilities.
To mitigate risks associated with this vulnerability before applying updates, users should exercise caution when installing applications from untrusted sources and regularly review app permissions within system settings. Administrators in enterprise environments should enforce strict application whitelisting policies and utilize endpoint detection and response tools capable of monitoring for unusual network activity patterns indicative of interception attempts. Keeping systems updated to the latest versions ensures that these critical permission restrictions are active, thereby preventing unauthorized access to sensitive network data and maintaining overall system integrity.