CVE-2026-112550 in macOS
Summary
by MITRE • 10/26/2026
A type confusion issue was addressed with improved memory handling. 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 a denial-of-service.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/26/2026
The vulnerability described involves a type confusion error within the operating system's memory management subsystems, specifically addressed in recent updates for macOS Golden Gate 27.2, macOS Sequoia 15.8.2, and macOS Tahoe 26.7.2. Type confusion is a critical class of software defects that occurs when an application or system component incorrectly interprets the data type of a memory object. This misinterpretation typically arises from improper handling of pointers or references where the code assumes one data structure but accesses it as another, leading to unpredictable behavior. In this specific instance, the flaw was resolved through improved memory handling mechanisms designed to enforce stricter type checking and validation before operations are executed on allocated memory regions.
From a technical perspective, type confusion vulnerabilities often stem from complex object hierarchies or dynamic typing systems where runtime checks are insufficient or bypassed. When an attacker can trigger this condition by supplying crafted input that causes the system to treat one data structure as another, it results in undefined behavior. While many type confusion bugs lead to arbitrary code execution due to memory corruption capabilities such as heap overflows or use-after-free conditions, the specific impact noted here is a denial-of-service. This suggests that the exploitation path for this particular flaw likely involves triggering an exception, crash, or infinite loop within the kernel or system service rather than achieving privilege escalation or remote code execution at this stage of analysis.
The operational impact of this vulnerability allows an unprivileged application to cause a denial-of-service condition on the affected macOS systems. By exploiting the type confusion error, a malicious app can destabilize core system processes, leading to application crashes, system freezes, or complete reboots. This compromises the availability aspect of the CIA triad, which is fundamental to maintaining reliable computing environments. For end-users and enterprise administrators, this means that running untrusted or compromised software poses a direct risk to system stability and uptime. The vulnerability highlights the importance of robust memory safety practices in operating system development, particularly when handling complex interactions between user-space applications and kernel-level resources.
This issue aligns with CWE-843, which defines access of incorrect type assumption as a weakness where an application accesses data using a type that is inconsistent with how the data was allocated or initialized. Furthermore, from a tactical perspective related to the MITRE ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability could be leveraged in conjunction with other techniques for initial exploitation and disruption. While primarily impacting availability here, such memory safety flaws are frequently precursors to more severe exploits if additional conditions like specific heap layouts or race conditions are present. Security researchers often classify these under categories related to improper input validation or logic errors that lead to resource exhaustion.
Mitigation strategies focus heavily on the software updates provided by Apple for macOS Golden Gate 27.2, Sequoia 15.8.2, and Tahoe 26.7.2. Administrators should ensure all systems are patched immediately to close this memory handling gap. Beyond patching, defense-in-depth measures such as enabling System Integrity Protection (SIP) can help restrict the actions that even privileged processes can perform, thereby limiting the potential blast radius of any successful exploitation attempt. Developers writing native macOS applications should also adhere to strict type safety guidelines and utilize static analysis tools during development to detect similar patterns before deployment. Regular security audits and adherence to secure coding standards are essential for preventing recurrence of such memory management errors in future software releases.