{"id":"CVE-2026-86966","kind":"vulnerability","aliases":["CVE-2026-86966"],"related":[],"title":"Apple iOS and macOS: symlink handling lets an app modify protected files","description":"This issue was addressed with improved handling of symlinks. This issue is fixed in iOS 26.7.2 and iPadOS 26.7.2, iOS 27 and iPadOS 27, macOS Golden Gate 27, macOS Sequoia 15.8.2, macOS Tahoe 26.7.2, visionOS 27. An app may be able to modify protected parts of the file system.","summary":"Apple's advisory says an app can modify protected parts of the file system because symlinks were handled incorrectly. The flaw is fixed in the listed iOS, iPadOS, macOS and visionOS releases.","severity":"unknown","cvss":null,"epss":null,"exploited":false,"exploited_at":null,"products":[],"ecosystems":[],"tags":["apple","infrastructure","ios","ipados","macos","visionos"],"not_affected_if":["fixed-version"],"how_to_check":"- Check the OS version on Apple devices under Settings > General > About (iOS, iPadOS, visionOS) or Apple menu > About This Mac (macOS).\n- Compare against the fixed versions listed in the description, such as `26.7.2` for iOS, iPadOS and macOS Tahoe, and `15.8.2` for macOS Sequoia.","fix":"- Update iOS and iPadOS to `26.7.2` or later, or to iOS 27 and iPadOS 27.\n- Update macOS Tahoe to `26.7.2`, macOS Sequoia to `15.8.2`, or move to macOS Golden Gate 27.\n- Update visionOS to 27.","status":"open","published_at":"2026-10-26T21:20:34+00:00","first_seen_at":"2026-10-26T21:55:22+00:00","triaged_at":"2026-10-26T21:56:42+00:00","updated_at":"2026-10-26T21:56:42+00:00","category":"infrastructure","confidence":0.5,"triage":{"at":"2026-10-26T21:56:42Z","model":"claude-haiku-5-5","output":{"fix":"- Update iOS and iPadOS to `26.7.2` or later, or to iOS 27 and iPadOS 27.\n- Update macOS Tahoe to `26.7.2`, macOS Sequoia to `15.8.2`, or move to macOS Golden Gate 27.\n- Update visionOS to 27.","reach":"local","title":"Apple iOS and macOS: symlink handling lets an app modify protected files","impact":"medium","summary":"Apple's advisory says an app can modify protected parts of the file system because symlinks were handled incorrectly. The flaw is fixed in the listed iOS, iPadOS, macOS and visionOS releases.","category":"infrastructure","nicknames":[],"who_cares":["apple","ios","ipados","macos","visionos"],"confidence":0.5,"needs_auth":"unknown","worst_case":"A malicious app modifies protected system file locations","analyst_note":"Check Apple's security notes for CVE-2026-86966 to confirm the attack prerequisites and whether the app needs any special entitlement or user action.","how_to_check":"- Check the OS version on Apple devices under Settings > General > About (iOS, iPadOS, visionOS) or Apple menu > About This Mac (macOS).\n- Compare against the fixed versions listed in the description, such as `26.7.2` for iOS, iPadOS and macOS Tahoe, and `15.8.2` for macOS Sequoia.","needs_analyst":true,"not_affected_if":["fixed-version"],"who_is_affected":"Anyone running an affected Apple OS version on a device that installs third-party apps. The sources do not describe which app setups or configurations make a device more exposed, and they do not name a managed or enterprise-only condition.","user_interaction":"unknown","needs_special_setup":"unknown","severity_if_unknown":"unknown"},"cost_usd":0.000651,"input_tokens":3319,"output_tokens":639,"severity_before":"unknown"},"analyst_status":null,"analyst_note":null,"search":"'-2026':14A,17A '-86966':15A,18A '15.8.2':87C '26.7.2':72C,75C,90C '27':77C,80C,84C,92C 'abl':97C 'address':60C 'advisori':27B 'app':9A,30B,94C 'appl':1A,19B,25B 'cve':13A,16A 'file':12A,37B,104C 'fix':47B,69C 'flaw':45B 'gate':83C 'golden':82C 'handl':6A,42B,63C 'improv':62C 'incorrect':43B 'infrastructur':20B 'io':2A,21B,51B,71C,76C 'ipado':22B,52B,74C,79C 'issu':58C,67C 'let':7A 'list':50B 'maco':4A,23B,53B,81C,85C,88C 'may':95C 'modifi':10A,32B,99C 'part':34B,101C 'protect':11A,33B,100C 'releas':56B 'say':28B 'sequoia':86C 'symlink':5A,40B,65C 'system':38B,105C 'taho':89C 'visiono':24B,55B,91C","nicknames":[],"mitigations":[],"who_affected":"Anyone running an affected Apple OS version on a device that installs third-party apps. The sources do not describe which app setups or configurations make a device more exposed, and they do not name a managed or enterprise-only condition.","tier":"C","verified":{},"analyst_revisit_at":null,"first_public_at":"2026-10-26T21:20:34+00:00","kev":null,"cvss_vector":null,"cvss_by":null,"poc_count":0,"sources":[{"source":"nvd","external_id":"CVE-2026-86966","url":"https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-86966","severity":null,"published_at":"2026-10-26T21:20:34+00:00","modified_at":"2026-10-26T21:20:34+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"}