{"id":"CVE-2026-86958","kind":"vulnerability","aliases":["CVE-2026-86958"],"related":[],"title":"Apple macOS: memory handling flaw lets attacker bypass pointer authentication","description":"The issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in macOS Golden Gate 27, macOS Sequoia 15.8.2, macOS Tahoe 26.7.2. An attacker with memory write capability may be able to bypass pointer authentication codes and run arbitrary code.","summary":"A memory-handling flaw in macOS lets an attacker who already has memory write capability bypass pointer authentication codes. The sources say this can lead to arbitrary code execution.","severity":"unknown","cvss":null,"epss":null,"exploited":false,"exploited_at":null,"products":[],"ecosystems":[],"tags":["apple-devices","infrastructure","macos"],"not_affected_if":["already-patched-macos"],"how_to_check":"- Run `sw_vers -productVersion` and compare against the fixed builds listed in the advisory: macOS Golden Gate 27, macOS Sequoia 15.8.2, macOS Tahoe 26.7.2.","fix":"- Update macOS to Golden Gate 27, Sequoia `15.8.2`, or Tahoe `26.7.2`, or later.","status":"open","published_at":"2026-10-26T21:20:33+00:00","first_seen_at":"2026-10-26T21:55:22+00:00","triaged_at":"2026-10-26T21:56:45+00:00","updated_at":"2026-10-26T21:56:45+00:00","category":"infrastructure","confidence":0.6,"triage":{"at":"2026-10-26T21:56:45Z","model":"claude-haiku-5-5","output":{"fix":"- Update macOS to Golden Gate 27, Sequoia `15.8.2`, or Tahoe `26.7.2`, or later.","reach":"local","title":"Apple macOS: memory handling flaw lets attacker bypass pointer authentication","impact":"high","summary":"A memory-handling flaw in macOS lets an attacker who already has memory write capability bypass pointer authentication codes. The sources say this can lead to arbitrary code execution.","category":"infrastructure","nicknames":[],"who_cares":["macos","apple-devices"],"confidence":0.6,"needs_auth":"yes","worst_case":"Attacker with memory write runs arbitrary code on the Mac.","analyst_note":"Check Apple's security advisory for the affected macOS builds and whether this is exploited in the wild; the NVD entry alone does not give the full version range.","how_to_check":"- Run `sw_vers -productVersion` and compare against the fixed builds listed in the advisory: macOS Golden Gate 27, macOS Sequoia 15.8.2, macOS Tahoe 26.7.2.","needs_analyst":true,"not_affected_if":["already-patched-macos"],"who_is_affected":"Mac machines running macOS releases older than the fixed versions. The description requires an attacker who already has memory write capability, so the exposure is mainly to processes or users already running code on the machine. The sources do not say which configurations or services are most at risk.","user_interaction":"unknown","needs_special_setup":"unknown","severity_if_unknown":"unknown"},"cost_usd":0.000596,"input_tokens":3285,"output_tokens":534,"severity_before":"unknown"},"analyst_status":null,"analyst_note":null,"search":"'-2026':12A,15A '-86958':13A,16A '15.8.2':71C '26.7.2':74C '27':68C 'abl':83C 'address':55C 'alreadi':33B 'appl':1A,18B 'apple-devic':17B 'arbitrari':49B,91C 'attack':7A,31B,76C 'authent':10A,40B,87C 'bypass':8A,38B,85C 'capabl':37B,80C 'code':41B,50B,88C,92C 'cve':11A,14A 'devic':19B 'execut':51B 'fix':63C 'flaw':5A,26B 'gate':67C 'golden':66C 'handl':4A,25B,59C 'improv':57C 'infrastructur':20B 'issu':53C,61C 'lead':47B 'let':6A,29B 'maco':2A,21B,28B,65C,69C,72C 'may':81C 'memori':3A,24B,35B,58C,78C 'memory-handl':23B 'pointer':9A,39B,86C 'run':90C 'say':44B 'sequoia':70C 'sourc':43B 'taho':73C 'write':36B,79C","nicknames":[],"mitigations":[],"who_affected":"Mac machines running macOS releases older than the fixed versions. The description requires an attacker who already has memory write capability, so the exposure is mainly to processes or users already running code on the machine. The sources do not say which configurations or services are most at risk.","tier":"C","verified":{},"analyst_revisit_at":null,"first_public_at":"2026-10-26T21:20:33+00:00","kev":null,"cvss_vector":null,"cvss_by":null,"poc_count":0,"sources":[{"source":"nvd","external_id":"CVE-2026-86958","url":"https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-86958","severity":null,"published_at":"2026-10-26T21:20:33+00:00","modified_at":"2026-10-26T21:20:33+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"}