CVE-2026-65375 in macOS
Summary
by MITRE • 09/15/2026
The issue was addressed with improved authentication. This issue is fixed in macOS Golden Gate 27, macOS Sequoia 15.8, macOS Tahoe 26.6. An app may be able to cause unexpected system termination.
Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/15/2026
This vulnerability represents a critical failure in the operating system's process management and authentication mechanisms within Apple's macOS ecosystem. The core technical flaw lies in how applications interact with system-level services that require elevated privileges or specific authentication tokens. In this scenario, an application is able to exploit weaknesses in the validation logic of these security controls, allowing it to trigger actions that lead to unexpected system termination. This behavior suggests a breakdown in the isolation boundaries between user-space processes and kernel-mode operations, where improper handling of state transitions or resource allocation can cause critical daemons or core services to crash. The issue is not merely a denial-of-service against a single application but poses a risk to overall system stability, as unexpected terminations can cascade into broader service disruptions affecting other running applications and user workflows.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple instability. When an app causes the operating system or critical subsystems to terminate unexpectedly, it results in data loss for unsaved work, interruption of long-running processes, and potential security inconsistencies if the termination leaves sensitive resources in an undefined state. Attackers could potentially leverage this flaw as part of a larger attack chain. For instance, by inducing repeated crashes, they might attempt to bypass security checks that rely on continuous uptime or consistent process states. Furthermore, such instability can be used for denial-of-service attacks against specific users or environments where high availability is required. The fact that the issue involves authentication improvements indicates that the root cause was likely related to improper verification of user identity or permissions before allowing actions that impact system stability. This aligns with common vulnerability patterns found in complex operating systems where race conditions or logic errors in privilege escalation paths are exploited.
From a standards perspective, this type of flaw is often categorized under CWE-20 Improper Input Validation or CWE-787 Out-of-bounds Write if the termination results from memory corruption triggered by malformed input during authentication checks. It may also relate to CWE-613 Insufficient Session Expiration if session tokens were mismanaged leading to unauthorized state changes. In terms of adversary tactics, this behavior could be associated with ATT&CK technique T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter or T1499 Endpoint Denial of Service, depending on whether the termination is a side effect of executing malicious code or an intentional disruption tactic. The vulnerability highlights the importance of robust error handling and strict adherence to least-privilege principles in system design.
Mitigation strategies primarily involve applying the provided software updates which address these authentication flaws. Organizations should ensure that macOS devices are updated to at least macOS Golden Gate 27, macOS Sequoia 15.8, or macOS Tahoe 26.6 as specified by Apple's security advisories. Beyond patching, administrators can enforce application whitelisting policies to restrict which applications have the ability to interact with sensitive system APIs that could trigger such terminations. Monitoring logs for frequent process crashes related to authentication services can help identify potential exploitation attempts in real-time. Additionally, implementing strict resource limits and sandboxing rules for third-party applications reduces the blast radius of any successful exploit, ensuring that even if an application triggers a fault, it does not compromise the entire system's integrity or availability.