{"id":"CVE-2026-112535","kind":"vulnerability","aliases":["CVE-2026-112535"],"related":[],"title":"macOS: symlink race lets an app modify protected file system parts","description":"A race condition was addressed with improved handling of symbolic links. This issue is fixed in macOS Golden Gate 27.2, macOS Sequoia 15.8.2, macOS Tahoe 26.7.2. An app may be able to modify protected parts of the file system.","summary":"A race condition in how macOS handled symbolic links allowed a crafted app to change protected parts of the file system. Apple fixed it with improved symlink handling in macOS Golden Gate 27.2, Sequoia 15.8.2 and Tahoe 26.7.2.","severity":"unknown","cvss":null,"epss":null,"exploited":false,"exploited_at":null,"products":[],"ecosystems":[],"tags":["macos","macos-fleet","mdm","other"],"not_affected_if":["already-patched-macos"],"how_to_check":"- Run `sw_vers -productVersion` on each Mac and compare against the fixed builds listed in the sources.\n- Check Software Update in System Settings for pending macOS updates.","fix":"- Update macOS to `27.2` (Golden Gate), `15.8.2` (Sequoia) or `26.7.2` (Tahoe), whichever matches the installed release.","status":"open","published_at":"2026-10-26T21:17:46+00:00","first_seen_at":"2026-10-26T21:20:27+00:00","triaged_at":"2026-10-26T21:28:13+00:00","updated_at":"2026-10-26T21:28:13+00:00","category":"other","confidence":0.5,"triage":{"at":"2026-10-26T21:28:13Z","model":"claude-haiku-5-5","output":{"fix":"- Update macOS to `27.2` (Golden Gate), `15.8.2` (Sequoia) or `26.7.2` (Tahoe), whichever matches the installed release.","reach":"local","title":"macOS: symlink race lets an app modify protected file system parts","impact":"high","summary":"A race condition in how macOS handled symbolic links allowed a crafted app to change protected parts of the file system. Apple fixed it with improved symlink handling in macOS Golden Gate 27.2, Sequoia 15.8.2 and Tahoe 26.7.2.","category":"other","nicknames":[],"who_cares":["macos","macos-fleet","mdm"],"confidence":0.5,"needs_auth":"unknown","worst_case":"A local app can modify protected system file system locations","analyst_note":"Check Apple's security notes for CVE-2026-112535 for the exact affected builds and whether a user must run the app.","how_to_check":"- Run `sw_vers -productVersion` on each Mac and compare against the fixed builds listed in the sources.\n- Check Software Update in System Settings for pending macOS updates.","needs_analyst":true,"not_affected_if":["already-patched-macos"],"who_is_affected":"Any Mac running a macOS release older than the fixed builds is exposed, since the flaw sits in the operating system rather than in a third-party package. The sources do not say which earlier builds are vulnerable, so treat all pre-fix macOS builds on the same line as affected. Managed fleets should push the update through their MDM.","user_interaction":"unknown","needs_special_setup":"unknown","severity_if_unknown":"unknown"},"cost_usd":0.000611,"input_tokens":3280,"output_tokens":566,"severity_before":"unknown"},"analyst_status":null,"analyst_note":null,"search":"'-112535':14A,17A '-2026':13A,16A '15.8.2':57B,83C '26.7.2':60B,86C '27.2':55B,80C 'abl':91C 'address':65C 'allow':32B 'app':6A,35B,88C 'appl':44B 'chang':37B 'condit':25B,63C 'craft':34B 'cve':12A,15A 'file':9A,42B,98C 'fix':45B,75C 'fleet':21B 'gate':54B,79C 'golden':53B,78C 'handl':29B,50B,68C 'improv':48B,67C 'issu':73C 'let':4A 'link':31B,71C 'maco':1A,18B,20B,28B,52B,77C,81C,84C 'macos-fleet':19B 'may':89C 'mdm':22B 'modifi':7A,93C 'part':11A,39B,95C 'protect':8A,38B,94C 'race':3A,24B,62C 'sequoia':56B,82C 'symbol':30B,70C 'symlink':2A,49B 'system':10A,43B,99C 'taho':59B,85C","nicknames":[],"mitigations":[],"who_affected":"Any Mac running a macOS release older than the fixed builds is exposed, since the flaw sits in the operating system rather than in a third-party package. The sources do not say which earlier builds are vulnerable, so treat all pre-fix macOS builds on the same line as affected. Managed fleets should push the update through their MDM.","tier":"C","verified":{},"analyst_revisit_at":null,"first_public_at":"2026-10-26T21:17:46+00:00","kev":null,"cvss_vector":null,"cvss_by":null,"poc_count":0,"sources":[{"source":"nvd","external_id":"CVE-2026-112535","url":"https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-112535","severity":null,"published_at":"2026-10-26T21:17:46+00:00","modified_at":"2026-10-26T21:17:46+00:00","first_seen_at":"2026-10-26T21:20:27+00:00","fetched_at":"2026-10-26T21:20:27+00:00","note":null}],"documents":[],"notice":"Free to read at a human pace. An API with keys and an MCP server are in preparation; early access: hello@infrastack.ai"}