CVE-2026-113934 in macOS
Summary
by MITRE • 10/26/2026
The issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in macOS Golden Gate 27.2. An app may be able to cause unexpected system termination or corrupt kernel memory.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/26/2026
This vulnerability represents a critical flaw within the operating system's core components, specifically related to improper management of system resources during specific operational sequences. The root cause lies in inadequate validation and bounds checking when handling dynamic memory allocations or deallocations within the kernel space. When an application triggers this flawed logic, it can manipulate pointers or data structures in ways that exceed their intended boundaries. This lack of rigorous input sanitization allows for a scenario where the system fails to properly isolate processes from one another at the hardware abstraction layer, leading to direct interference with critical memory regions reserved for the operating system itself rather than user-space applications.
The technical mechanism involves a race condition or an off-by-one error in how kernel structures are updated during high-frequency operations. An attacker can exploit this by crafting specific API calls that force the kernel into an inconsistent state regarding memory page mappings. Because modern operating systems rely heavily on virtual memory management to maintain stability, any corruption of these internal data structures disrupts the integrity checks performed by the memory manager. This disruption prevents the system from correctly identifying which pages are in use and which are free, leading to either double-free errors or access violations against unmapped addresses. The severity is amplified because this occurs within the kernel, granting potential attackers a pathway to escalate privileges if they can further exploit the resulting instability to execute arbitrary code with root-level permissions.
From an operational perspective, the immediate impact of this vulnerability includes system instability and data integrity risks. As noted in the remediation details, the primary observable symptom is unexpected system termination, commonly known as a kernel panic or crash. This results in significant downtime for users and potential loss of unsaved work. More critically, if the memory corruption allows an attacker to overwrite specific control structures such as function pointers or return addresses on the stack, it can lead to arbitrary code execution. This transforms a simple denial-of-service issue into a severe privilege escalation vector. The ability to corrupt kernel memory undermines the fundamental security model of the operating system, potentially allowing malicious actors to install rootkits, bypass sandboxing mechanisms, and exfiltrate sensitive data that is protected by standard user-level permissions.
Industry standards classify this type of flaw under CWE-120 Buffer Overflow without null termination or CWE-787 Out-of-bounds Write, depending on the specific nature of the memory corruption. In terms of attack tactics, this vulnerability aligns with MITRE ATT&CK techniques related to Privilege Escalation via Kernel Exploitation and potentially Defense Evasion if used to hide malicious activity within corrupted system processes. The exploitation path typically involves local access, requiring an attacker to have a foothold on the device before they can trigger the kernel-level flaw. This highlights the importance of strict application sandboxing policies that limit what low-privilege applications are allowed to do with system resources.
Mitigation strategies focus primarily on applying the vendor-provided software updates as soon as possible. The fix in macOS Golden Gate 27.2 addresses these memory handling issues by implementing stricter bounds checking and improving error recovery mechanisms within the kernel's memory management subsystem. Administrators should ensure that all devices are patched to this version or later to eliminate the vulnerability vector. In environments where immediate patching is not feasible, network segmentation can help limit lateral movement if an attacker gains initial access through other means. Additionally, enabling strict code signing policies and runtime application sandboxing reduces the attack surface by preventing unauthorized binaries from interacting with sensitive kernel interfaces. Regular security audits focusing on memory safety in custom applications developed for this platform are also recommended to prevent similar issues arising from third-party software that might interact poorly with system libraries.