CVE-2026-28888

Race Condition in macOS Enables Potential Root Privilege Escalation

Published Mar 25, 2026 CVSS 3.1 · 5.1 Medium EPSS < 1% KEV · Not listed

Description

A race condition was addressed with improved state handling. This issue is fixed in macOS Sequoia 15.7.5, macOS Sonoma 14.8.5, macOS Tahoe 26.4. An app may be able to gain root privileges.

Analysis

Technical impact

A race condition in macOS system state handling may allow an application to elevate its privileges to root. The flaw is a concurrency error, classified as CWE‑362, and could enable an attacker to execute arbitrary code with full system control.

Affected Systems

Apple macOS users running earlier versions than Sequoia 15.7.5, Sonoma 14.8.5, or Tahoe 26.4 are vulnerable. Releases newer than these per‑update builds contain the fix.

Risk and Exploitability

The CVSS score of 5.1 indicates moderate impact, while the EPSS score of less than 1 % suggests the likelihood of exploitation is low. The vulnerability is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog. Based on the description, it is inferred that the attack vector is local, requiring the attacker to execute a malicious application on the affected system.

Affected Products

Default status is the baseline for the product, each version can override it (e.g. patched versions marked unaffected).

Vendor Product Default status Versions

Apple

macOS

affected

Version	Status	Constraints
`0`	affected	< 14.8.5
`0`	affected	< 15.7.5
`0`	affected	< 26.4

Configuration 1 [-]

OR	cpe:2.3:o:apple:macos::::::::
	cpe:2.3:o:apple:macos::::::::
	cpe:2.3:o:apple:macos::::::::

No data.

Vendor Product Versions

Apple

Macos

Version	Status	Scheme	Platform
`[0,14.8.5)`	affected	semver	—
`[0,15.7.5)`	affected	semver	—
`[0,26.4)`	affected	semver	—

Remediation

No solution or workaround provided in the CVE record.

OpenCVE Recommended Actions

Update macOS to Sequoia 15.7.5 or later, Sonoma 14.8.5 or later, or Tahoe 26.4 or later
Verify the installation of the latest security updates via System Settings > Software Update

Generated by OpenCVE AI on March 25, 2026 at 20:26 UTC.

Tracking

Advisories

No advisories available

Metrics

No CVSS v4.0

Attack Vector Local

Attack Complexity High

Privileges Required None

Scope Unchanged

Confidentiality Impact None

Integrity Impact None

Availability Impact High

User Interaction None

No CVSS v3.0

No CVSS v2

This CVE is not in the KEV list.

Exploit prediction score: < 1% (0.157% probability within 30 days)

Exploitation none

Automatable no

Technical Impact total

References

Link	Providers
https://support.apple.com/en-us/126794
https://support.apple.com/en-us/126795
https://support.apple.com/en-us/126796

History

Mar 25, 2026 10:00 PM Title updated View changes

Type	Values Removed	Values Added
Title		Race Condition in macOS Enables Potential Root Privilege Escalation

Mar 25, 2026 6:15 PM Affected versions updated View changes

Type	Values Removed	Values Added
CPEs		cpe:2.3:o:apple:macos::::::::

Mar 25, 2026 3:15 PM Weaknesses updated. Scoring metrics updated View changes

Type	Values Removed	Values Added
Weaknesses		CWE-362
Metrics		cvssV3_1 `{'score': 5.1, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H'}` ssvc `{'options': {'Automatable': 'no', 'Exploitation': 'none', 'Technical Impact': 'total'}, 'version': '2.0.3'}`

Mar 25, 2026 12:00 PM First appearance in the feed. Affected vendors updated View changes

Type	Values Removed	Values Added
First Time appeared		Apple Apple macos
Vendors & Products		Apple Apple macos

Mar 25, 2026 1:00 AM Description updated. Added references View changes

Type	Values Removed	Values Added
Description		A race condition was addressed with improved state handling. This issue is fixed in macOS Sequoia 15.7.5, macOS Sonoma 14.8.5, macOS Tahoe 26.4. An app may be able to gain root privileges.
References		https://support.apple.com/en-us/126794 https://support.apple.com/en-us/126795 https://support.apple.com/en-us/126796