Description
A permissions issue was addressed with additional restrictions. This issue is fixed in iOS 27 and iPadOS 27, macOS Golden Gate 27, macOS Sequoia 15.8, macOS Tahoe 26.7, tvOS 27, visionOS 27. An app may be able to modify a file it only had permission to read.
Published: 2026-09-14
Score: 5.5 Medium
EPSS: < 1% Very Low
KEV: No
Impact: Privilege escalation by bypassing file permissions
Action: Immediate Patch
AI Analysis

Impact

A flaw in the permission enforcement of several Apple operating systems allows an application to write to a file that it should only be able to read. The vulnerability is an access control weakness that can be leveraged to tamper with protected files, potentially compromising the integrity of the operating system or installed applications.

Affected Systems

The issue appears in iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, and visionOS. It was fixed in iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS Golden Gate 27 and Sequoia 15.8, macOS Tahoe 26.7, tvOS 27, and visionOS 27. Devices running any of these OS families before those releases may be susceptible.

Risk and Exploitability

The vulnerability is defined with a CVSS score of 5.5, indicating medium severity. This score reflects the potential for an application to overwrite files it should only read, potentially disrupting application functionality or modifying system configuration. Because the flaw requires the presence of a malicious or compromised application on the device, it is a local privilege escalation vector, but it can affect multiple files if the application has broad file‑system permissions. The EPSS score of <1% suggests a low probability of exploitation in the wild, and the vulnerability is currently not listed in CISA KEV. A device running any pre‑27 (iOS/iPadOS), pre‑26.7 (macOS Tahoe), or earlier tvOS/visionOS versions remains vulnerable.

Generated by OpenCVE AI on September 20, 2026 at 19:12 UTC.

Remediation

No solution or workaround provided in the CVE record.

OpenCVE Recommended Actions

  • Apply the latest OS updates covering iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS Golden Gate 27, Sequoia 15.8, macOS Tahoe 26.7, tvOS 27, and visionOS 27.
  • Remove or quarantine any third‑party applications that request broad file‑system access.
  • Restrict write permissions on critical system files and directories using appropriate security controls, such as setting ownership and access controls.

Generated by OpenCVE AI on September 20, 2026 at 19:12 UTC.

Tracking

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Advisories

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History

Sun, 20 Sep 2026 19:30:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Title Apple Operating System File Permission Escalation

Thu, 17 Sep 2026 18:30:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Metrics ssvc

{'options': {'Automatable': 'no', 'Exploitation': 'none', 'Technical Impact': 'partial'}, 'version': '2.0.3'}


Thu, 17 Sep 2026 13:45:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
First Time appeared Apple ipados
Apple iphone Os
Weaknesses CWE-863
CPEs cpe:2.3:o:apple:ipados:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:apple:macos:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:apple:tvos:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:apple:visionos:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
Vendors & Products Apple ipados
Apple iphone Os
Metrics cvssV3_1

{'score': 5.5, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N'}


Wed, 16 Sep 2026 10:30:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Title Permissions bypass allows file modification in multiple Apple OS versions
Weaknesses CWE-284
CWE-732

Tue, 15 Sep 2026 09:45:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Title Permissions bypass allows file modification in multiple Apple OS versions
Weaknesses CWE-284
CWE-732

Tue, 15 Sep 2026 01:00:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
First Time appeared Apple
Apple ios And Ipados
Apple macos
Apple tvos
Apple visionos
Vendors & Products Apple
Apple ios And Ipados
Apple macos
Apple tvos
Apple visionos

Mon, 14 Sep 2026 21:00:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Description A permissions issue was addressed with additional restrictions. This issue is fixed in iOS 27 and iPadOS 27, macOS Golden Gate 27, macOS Sequoia 15.8, macOS Tahoe 26.7, tvOS 27, visionOS 27. An app may be able to modify a file it only had permission to read.
References

cve-icon MITRE

Status: PUBLISHED

Assigner: apple

Published:

Updated: 2026-09-17T17:19:55.585Z

Reserved: 2026-05-01T22:46:27.819Z

Link: CVE-2026-43785

cve-icon Vulnrichment

Updated: 2026-09-17T17:19:41.563Z

cve-icon NVD

Status : Modified

Published: 2026-09-14T21:17:11.180

Modified: 2026-09-17T18:16:42.643

Link: CVE-2026-43785

cve-icon Redhat

No data.

cve-icon OpenCVE Enrichment

Updated: 2026-09-20T19:15:03Z

Weaknesses