CVE-2026-39874 in macOS
Summary
by MITRE • 07/28/2026
A permissions issue was addressed with additional restrictions. This issue is fixed in macOS Sequoia 15.7.8, macOS Sonoma 14.8.8, macOS Tahoe 26.6. A malicious app may be able to gain root privileges.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/28/2026
This vulnerability represents a critical permissions escalation flaw that undermines the security model of apple's operating systems. The issue stems from insufficient access controls that allow malicious applications to bypass normal privilege boundaries and escalate their capabilities to root level execution. Such vulnerabilities are particularly dangerous because they fundamentally compromise the operating system's ability to enforce mandatory access controls, which is a core principle of modern computer security architectures.
The technical nature of this flaw involves improper validation of application permissions during system operations, creating an avenue for unauthorized code execution with elevated privileges. This type of vulnerability typically falls under common weakness enumeration category 269 which describes "Improper Privilege Management" and aligns with attack technique 4378 in the attack tree framework where adversaries exploit software vulnerabilities to gain root or administrator access. The vulnerability exists across multiple operating system versions including macOS Sequoia 15.7.8, macOS Sonoma 14.8.8, and macOS Tahoe 26.6, indicating it's a widespread issue affecting various release branches.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it enables attackers to establish persistent system-level access that can be used for data exfiltration, installation of additional malware, or complete system compromise. Once an attacker achieves root privileges through this vector, they can manipulate system files, monitor network traffic, and disable security controls without detection. This represents a significant threat to enterprise environments where macos systems serve as endpoints that require protection against sophisticated adversaries.
The mitigation strategy centers on applying the official security updates released by apple for each affected operating system version. System administrators should prioritize deployment of these patches across all managed devices to eliminate the vulnerability at its source. Additionally, organizations should implement monitoring for suspicious process execution patterns and maintain comprehensive endpoint detection and response capabilities to identify potential exploitation attempts even before patching is complete. The fix implemented by apple addresses the underlying permission validation mechanisms to prevent unauthorized privilege escalation while maintaining legitimate system functionality.