CVE-2026-28862 in macOS
Summary
by MITRE • 03/25/2026
A privacy issue was addressed with improved private data redaction for log entries. This issue is fixed in macOS Sequoia 15.7.5, macOS Sonoma 14.8.5, macOS Tahoe 26.4. An app may be able to access user-sensitive data.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/29/2026
This vulnerability represents a significant privacy flaw in apple's operating systems where insufficient data redaction mechanisms allowed sensitive user information to remain accessible within log files. The issue stems from inadequate private data handling during logging operations, creating potential exposure points for personally identifiable information and other confidential data elements. The vulnerability affects multiple operating system versions including macOS Sequoia 15.7.5, macOS Sonoma 14.8.5, and macOS Tahoe 26.4, indicating a widespread impact across apple's ecosystem. The flaw specifically enables applications to potentially access user-sensitive data that should have been properly redacted from log entries, creating a pathway for unauthorized data exposure.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves insufficient sanitization processes within the logging subsystem where private data elements fail to be adequately removed or obscured before log entries are written to storage. This represents a failure in proper data handling protocols that should ensure sensitive information is masked or removed during logging operations. The vulnerability is categorized under privacy protection mechanisms and aligns with common weakness enumerations such as CWE-532, which addresses information exposure through log files, and CWE-200, which covers information exposure vulnerabilities. Attackers could potentially exploit this weakness to gain access to user data through log file analysis, particularly in scenarios where applications do not properly implement data sanitization before logging operations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data exposure to include potential compliance violations with privacy regulations such as gdpr, ccpa, and other data protection frameworks. Organizations relying on affected apple operating systems may face increased risk of data breaches and regulatory penalties due to inadequate protection of user information. The vulnerability could enable adversaries to reconstruct user activities, access personal information, or identify sensitive behavioral patterns through log file analysis. This issue particularly affects environments where multiple applications generate logs and where proper data access controls may not prevent unauthorized log file access. The attack surface includes both local and remote access scenarios where malicious actors could potentially retrieve sensitive information from system logs.
Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing comprehensive log sanitization procedures and ensuring proper data redaction mechanisms are in place across all logging operations. System administrators should prioritize updating affected systems to the patched versions mentioned in the advisory, specifically macOS Sequoia 15.7.5, macOS Sonoma 14.8.5, and macOS Tahoe 26.4. Organizations should conduct thorough log file reviews to identify any potentially exposed sensitive data and implement additional access controls for log file systems. The remediation process should include verification of proper data redaction implementations and regular auditing of logging operations to ensure sensitive information is properly handled. Security teams should also consider implementing network monitoring to detect unauthorized access attempts to log files and establish incident response procedures for potential data exposure events. This vulnerability highlights the importance of maintaining robust privacy controls throughout system operations and demonstrates the critical need for proper data handling practices in all software development and deployment processes.