CVE-2026-20677: A race condition was addressed with improved handling of symbolic links
Source GCVE Database
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 9.0 Critical : upgrade to 26.3 or 18.7.5 as a priority.
Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 12:29 UTC
- EPSS
- 0.3% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 24% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
- Patch
- Available – fixed in 26.3, 18.7.5, 15.7.4 +1
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:HExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 11 Feb 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors
A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.
What to do
Upgrade iOS and iPadOS to 26.3 or 18.7.5; macOS to 26.3, 15.7.4 or 14.8.4; visionOS to 26.3.
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| AppleiOS and iPadOS | Affected
| Fixed in
|
| AppleiOS and iPadOS | Affected
| Fixed in
|
| ApplemacOS | Affected
| Fixed in
|
| ApplemacOS | Affected
| Fixed in
|
| ApplemacOS | Affected
| Fixed in
|
| ApplevisionOS | Affected
| Fixed in
|
AI-suggested
The vulnerability has been fixed in the specified versions of Apple operating systems: macOS Tahoe 26.3, macOS Sonoma 14.8.4, iOS 18.7.5, iPadOS 18.7.5, visionOS 26.3, iOS 26.3, and iPadOS 26.3. Users and administrators should apply these updates promptly to mitigate the risk. No additional mitigation steps are indicated beyond applying the official patches.
Description
CVE-2026-20677 is a critical race condition vulnerability related to symbolic link handling in Apple operating systems. The flaw could allow a shortcut to bypass sandbox restrictions, potentially leading to full system compromise. The issue affects multiple Apple OS versions and has been addressed in recent updates.
References
- nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-20677 (opens in a new tab)
- support.apple.com/en-us/126346 (opens in a new tab)
- support.apple.com/en-us/126347 (opens in a new tab)
- support.apple.com/en-us/126348 (opens in a new tab)
- support.apple.com/en-us/126349 (opens in a new tab)
- support.apple.com/en-us/126350 (opens in a new tab)
- support.apple.com/en-us/126353 (opens in a new tab)