CVE-2026-65372 in macOS
Summary
by MITRE • 10/20/2026
A race condition was addressed with additional validation. This issue is fixed in macOS Golden Gate 27, macOS Sequoia 15.8, macOS Tahoe 26.7. A malicious application may be able to bypass Privacy preferences.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/20/2026
The vulnerability described constitutes a classic race condition within the privacy preference management subsystem of Apple's operating systems, specifically affecting versions prior to macOS Golden Gate 27, macOS Sequoia 15.8, and macOS Tahoe 26.7. This flaw arises from a timing discrepancy during the validation process that governs how applications request access to sensitive user data or system resources. In secure software design, checks for permissions should be atomic operations that occur immediately before resource access is granted. However, in this instance, there exists a window of time between the initial check and the actual enforcement where an attacker can manipulate the state of the application or the system environment. By exploiting this race condition, a malicious actor can execute code paths that bypass the intended privacy controls, effectively tricking the operating system into granting access without proper user consent or administrative approval.
From a technical perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-362, which defines concurrent execution error and specifically highlights situations where shared resources are accessed by multiple threads of control in an unsafe manner. The core issue lies not necessarily in the logic of the permission check itself but in the lack of synchronization mechanisms to ensure that the state remains consistent between the verification step and the privilege escalation or resource access step. When a malicious application triggers this race condition, it can intercept the validation process at a critical juncture where the system has verified eligibility but not yet locked down the requested resource. This allows the application to proceed with accessing protected data such as contacts, photos, location services, or clipboard contents despite having been denied permission by the user through standard privacy settings interfaces.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant for end-user security and data integrity. Privacy preferences serve as a primary defense mechanism against unauthorized surveillance and data exfiltration. By bypassing these controls, an attacker gains the ability to silently collect sensitive personal information without triggering alerts or requiring further interaction from the user. This undermines the trust model that modern operating systems rely upon, where users expect granular control over their digital footprint. In a threat scenario, this could facilitate targeted espionage, identity theft, or the preparation for more advanced attacks by gathering contextual data about the victim's habits and connections. The ability to bypass privacy settings also means that security tools relying on these permissions to monitor application behavior may be blinded, reducing the effectiveness of endpoint detection and response solutions.
This type of vulnerability is often categorized under ATT&CK technique T1530, which covers Data from Cloud Storage Objects or local data access via unauthorized API calls, although in this specific context it more closely relates to privilege escalation through race conditions leading to unauthorized information disclosure. The exploitation requires a malicious application already present on the system, suggesting that while the vulnerability is severe, its practical deployment depends on initial compromise vectors such as social engineering or supply chain attacks. To mitigate this risk, users must ensure their systems are updated to macOS Golden Gate 27, macOS Sequoia 15.8, or macOS Tahoe 26.7 and later versions where additional validation logic has been implemented to close the timing window. These updates likely introduce stricter synchronization primitives or atomic checks that prevent the state from changing between verification and execution. Administrators should also enforce strict application whitelisting policies to minimize the attack surface for any potential race condition exploits, ensuring that only trusted software is permitted to interact with sensitive system APIs.