Description
A use after free issue was addressed with improved memory management. This issue is fixed in macOS Golden Gate 27, macOS Sequoia 15.8, macOS Tahoe 26.7. An app may be able to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges.
Published: 2026-09-14
Score: 7.8 High
EPSS: < 1% Very Low
KEV: No
Impact: Kernel‑Privilege Escalation
Action: Immediate Patch
AI Analysis

Impact

A use‑after‑free flaw in macOS execution with kernel privileges. If an attacker can control the payload, arbitrary code runs with the highest operating‑system rights, enabling full system compromise.

Affected Systems

Apple macOS versions prior to macOS Golden Gate 27, macOS Sequoia 15.8, and macOS Tahoe 26.7 are affected. The issue was fixed in those releases, so systems running earlier macOS versions remain vulnerable.

Risk and Exploitability

The flaw achieves native code execution at the kernel level, representing the highest possible impact. No public exploitation data is currently available (EPSS score < 1%, KEV not listed), but the severity inferred from the CVSS and the nature of kernel privilege escalation suggests a high to critical risk. Likely attackers have local application execution privileges and can exploit the flaw via a malicious app or a crafted input that leads to the use‑after‑free condition.

Generated by OpenCVE AI on September 20, 2026 at 20:39 UTC.

Remediation

No solution or workaround provided in the CVE record.

OpenCVE Recommended Actions

  • Apply the latest macOS update that includes fix – macOS Golden Gate 27, Sequoia 15.8, or Tahoe 26.7 or newer
  • Confirm Gatekeeper and XProtect are enabled to prevent installation of malicious applications
  • Review system logs for unexpected kernel activities and apply additional application whitelisting where feasible

Generated by OpenCVE AI on September 20, 2026 at 20:39 UTC.

Tracking

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Advisories

No advisories yet.

History

Sun, 20 Sep 2026 21:00:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Title Kernel Privilege Escalation via Use-After-Free in macOS

Wed, 16 Sep 2026 11:15:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Title macOS Use-After-Free Leading to Kernel-Privilege Escalation

Tue, 15 Sep 2026 18:00:00 +0000

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

Tue, 15 Sep 2026 15:30:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Metrics ssvc

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

Tue, 15 Sep 2026 14:30:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Metrics cvssV3_1

{'score': 7.8, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H'}

Tue, 15 Sep 2026 10:30:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Title macOS Use-After-Free Leading to Kernel-Privilege Escalation
Weaknesses CWE-416

Tue, 15 Sep 2026 01:45:00 +0000

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

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

Type Values Removed Values Added
Description A use after free issue was addressed with improved memory management. This issue is fixed in macOS Golden Gate 27, macOS Sequoia 15.8, macOS Tahoe 26.7. An app may be able to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges.
References

Subscriptions

Apple Macos
cve-icon MITRE

Status: PUBLISHED

Assigner: apple

Published:

Updated: 2026-09-16T03:56:09.417Z

Reserved: 2026-09-01T21:13:17.748Z

Link: CVE-2026-84506

cve-icon Vulnrichment

Updated: 2026-09-15T13:49:23.953Z

cve-icon NVD

Status : Analyzed

Published: 2026-09-14T21:17:27.180

Modified: 2026-09-16T04:18:42.980

Link: CVE-2026-84506

cve-icon Redhat

No data.

cve-icon OpenCVE Enrichment

Updated: 2026-09-20T20:45:03Z

Weaknesses