{"id":"CVE-2026-86896","kind":"vulnerability","aliases":["CVE-2026-86896"],"related":[],"title":"macOS: permissions flaw lets a malicious app gain root privileges","description":"A permissions issue was addressed with additional restrictions. This issue is fixed in macOS Golden Gate 27.2, macOS Sequoia 15.8.2, macOS Tahoe 26.7.2. A malicious app may be able to gain root privileges.","summary":"A permissions issue in macOS lets a malicious app escalate its rights to root on the machine. Apple fixed it with additional restrictions in the listed macOS releases.","severity":"high","cvss":null,"epss":null,"exploited":false,"exploited_at":null,"products":[],"ecosystems":[],"tags":["endpoints","fleet-management","infrastructure","macos"],"not_affected_if":["already-patched"],"how_to_check":"- Run `sw_vers -productVersion` on each Mac and compare the output with the fixed versions below.\n- Check Software Update in System Settings for pending macOS security updates.","fix":"- Update macOS Golden Gate to `27.2` or later.\n- Update macOS Sequoia to `15.8.2` or later.\n- Update macOS Tahoe to `26.7.2` or later.","status":"open","published_at":"2026-10-26T21:20:25+00:00","first_seen_at":"2026-10-26T21:55:22+00:00","triaged_at":"2026-10-26T21:57:00+00:00","updated_at":"2026-10-26T21:57:00+00:00","category":"infrastructure","confidence":0.6,"triage":{"at":"2026-10-26T21:57:00Z","model":"claude-haiku-5-5","output":{"fix":"- Update macOS Golden Gate to `27.2` or later.\n- Update macOS Sequoia to `15.8.2` or later.\n- Update macOS Tahoe to `26.7.2` or later.","reach":"local","title":"macOS: permissions flaw lets a malicious app gain root privileges","impact":"high","summary":"A permissions issue in macOS lets a malicious app escalate its rights to root on the machine. Apple fixed it with additional restrictions in the listed macOS releases.","category":"infrastructure","nicknames":[],"who_cares":["macos","endpoints","fleet-management"],"confidence":0.6,"needs_auth":"unknown","worst_case":"A malicious app gains root privileges on the Mac.","analyst_note":"Check Apple's security release notes for the CVE-2026-86896 entry to confirm the component and whether user interaction is required.","how_to_check":"- Run `sw_vers -productVersion` on each Mac and compare the output with the fixed versions below.\n- Check Software Update in System Settings for pending macOS security updates.","needs_analyst":true,"not_affected_if":["already-patched"],"who_is_affected":"Any Mac running an earlier macOS build than the fixed versions is affected, as the flaw is in the operating system itself. Exposure requires a malicious app to be run on the machine, so managed fleets that restrict app installation face less risk, but they still need the update. The sources do not say which configurations or app permissions are required.","user_interaction":"yes","needs_special_setup":"unknown","severity_if_unknown":"high"},"cost_usd":0.000599,"input_tokens":3275,"output_tokens":543,"severity_before":"unknown"},"analyst_status":null,"analyst_note":null,"search":"'-2026':12A,15A '-86896':13A,16A '15.8.2':70C '26.7.2':73C '27.2':67C 'abl':79C 'addit':44B,57C 'address':55C 'app':7A,31B,76C 'appl':40B 'cve':11A,14A 'endpoint':17B 'escal':32B 'fix':41B,62C 'flaw':3A 'fleet':19B 'fleet-manag':18B 'gain':8A,81C 'gate':66C 'golden':65C 'infrastructur':21B 'issu':25B,53C,60C 'let':4A,28B 'list':48B 'machin':39B 'maco':1A,22B,27B,49B,64C,68C,71C 'malici':6A,30B,75C 'manag':20B 'may':77C 'permiss':2A,24B,52C 'privileg':10A,83C 'releas':50B 'restrict':45B,58C 'right':34B 'root':9A,36B,82C 'sequoia':69C 'taho':72C","nicknames":[],"mitigations":[],"who_affected":"Any Mac running an earlier macOS build than the fixed versions is affected, as the flaw is in the operating system itself. Exposure requires a malicious app to be run on the machine, so managed fleets that restrict app installation face less risk, but they still need the update. The sources do not say which configurations or app permissions are required.","tier":"B","verified":{},"analyst_revisit_at":null,"first_public_at":"2026-10-26T21:20:25+00:00","kev":null,"cvss_vector":null,"cvss_by":null,"poc_count":0,"sources":[{"source":"nvd","external_id":"CVE-2026-86896","url":"https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-86896","severity":null,"published_at":"2026-10-26T21:20:25+00:00","modified_at":"2026-10-26T21:20:25+00:00","first_seen_at":"2026-10-26T21:55:22+00:00","fetched_at":"2026-10-26T21:55:22+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"}