CVE-2026-112543 in macOS
Summary
by MITRE • 10/26/2026
A race condition was addressed with additional validation. 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 break out of its sandbox.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/26/2026
The vulnerability described involves a race condition within the operating system's security mechanisms, specifically affecting the integrity checks performed during application execution or privilege escalation processes. Race conditions occur when software performs an operation that depends on the timing or sequence of events, such as checking if a file exists before opening it, rather than doing so atomically. In this context, the flaw likely resides in how macOS validates sandbox boundaries and access controls for applications. A malicious application could exploit the window between the initial validation check and the actual execution of the restricted operation by manipulating system state or timing its actions precisely to bypass these checks. This type of vulnerability is categorized under CWE-362, which defines concurrent execution with shared resources leading to unintended behavior, a common pattern in operating system security flaws where atomicity guarantees are not strictly enforced during critical security transitions.
The operational impact of this flaw is significant because it allows for sandbox escape, a severe breach of the application isolation model that macOS employs to limit the damage potential of compromised software. The sandbox restricts what resources an app can access and how it interacts with other apps or system services. By breaking out of this sandbox, a malicious actor gains elevated privileges beyond those granted by the user at installation time. This could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive data stored on the device, such as personal documents, credentials, or financial information, which would otherwise be protected from standard application-level attacks. Furthermore, an escaped process can potentially interact with other applications and system components without restriction, facilitating further exploitation chains that may include keylogging, screen capture, or lateral movement within a networked environment if the compromised device is part of one.
This vulnerability aligns closely with MITRE ATT&CK technique T1055, which covers Process Injection, as well as techniques related to privilege escalation and defense evasion such as T1620 Reflective Code Loading or T1499 Endpoint Denial of Service if the exploitation causes instability. The ability to bypass sandbox restrictions is a critical step in many advanced persistent threat campaigns where initial access is gained through social engineering or drive-by downloads, followed by attempts to escalate privileges and exfiltrate data. Without this fix, attackers could leverage standard malware distribution vectors to achieve high-impact outcomes that were previously mitigated by the OS security architecture. The presence of such a flaw undermines trust in the platform's ability to contain untrusted code, which is fundamental to modern mobile and desktop operating system design principles.
Apple addressed this issue through additional validation steps within the affected components, ensuring that checks for sandbox compliance are performed atomically or with stricter synchronization mechanisms to prevent timing-based bypasses. The fix was released in macOS Golden Gate 27.2, macOS Sequoia 15.8.2, and macOS Tahoe 26.7.2, indicating a broad deployment across multiple major versions of the operating system to ensure comprehensive protection for users regardless of their current update level. Users are strongly advised to apply these updates immediately to close this security gap. Beyond patching, administrators should enforce strict application whitelisting policies where possible and monitor for anomalous process behavior that might indicate exploitation attempts in environments where immediate patching is not feasible. Regular auditing of installed applications and limiting the permissions granted to third-party software can further reduce the attack surface associated with such vulnerabilities.