VulnerabilityPublished 25 Mar 2026Updated 2 Apr 2026

CVE-2026-20633: Apple macOS · Link Following

Affects Apple macOSSource CVE Database V5

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Not known to be exploited · CVSS 5.5 Medium · fixed in 26.4 : update Apple macOS when convenient.

Data as of 30 Oct 2026, 11:52 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

5.5Medium

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 12% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 26.4, 15.7.5, 14.8.5

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

Attack Vector: Local
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: Required
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: None
Availability: None

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Local: The vulnerable component is not bound to the network stack and the attacker’s path is via read/write/execute capabilities. Either: the attacker exploits the vulnerability by accessing the target system locally (e.g., keyboard, console), or remotely (e.g., SSH); or the attacker relies on User Interaction by another person to perform actions required to exploit the vulnerability (e.g., tricking a legitimate user into opening a malicious document).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: None: The attacker is unauthorized prior to attack, and therefore does not require any access to settings or files to carry out an attack.
User Interaction: Required: Successful exploitation of this vulnerability requires a user to take some action before the vulnerability can be exploited.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: High: There is total loss of confidentiality, resulting in all resources within the impacted component being divulged to the attacker. Alternatively, access to only some restricted information is obtained, but the disclosed information presents a direct, serious impact.
Integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the impacted component.
Availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 25 Mar 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: 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 30 Oct 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponized: A Metasploit exploit module or Exploit-DB entry exists (Metasploit scanner modules do not count), or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Upgrade Apple macOS to 26.4, 15.7.5 or 14.8.5.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
ApplemacOS	Affected <26.4	Fixed in 26.4
ApplemacOS	Affected <15.7.5	Fixed in 15.7.5
ApplemacOS	Affected <14.8.5	Fixed in 14.8.5

AI-suggested

To mitigate CVE-2026-20633, organizations and users should immediately apply the security updates released by Apple in macOS Sequoia 15.7.5, Sonoma 14.8.5, and Tahoe 26.4 or later. Beyond patching, organizations should implement strict application control policies to limit execution of untrusted or unsigned applications, reducing the risk of malicious apps exploiting symlink handling. Employ endpoint protection solutions capable of detecting suspicious file system activity related to symlinks. Educate users about the risks of opening files or applications from untrusted sources to minimize user interaction exploitation. Regularly audit and monitor file system permissions and symlink usage to detect anomalies. For environments with sensitive data, consider additional data encryption and access controls to limit exposure even if symlink vulnerabilities are exploited. Finally, maintain an up-to-date inventory of macOS devices and ensure timely deployment of patches across all endpoints.

Description

This issue was addressed with improved handling of symlinks. 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 access user-sensitive data.

Impact

The primary impact of CVE-2026-20633 is unauthorized disclosure of user-sensitive data on affected macOS systems. Attackers exploiting this vulnerability can gain access to files or information that should be protected, potentially exposing personal, corporate, or confidential data. This can lead to privacy violations, intellectual property theft, or leakage of credentials and other sensitive information. Since the vulnerability does not affect data integrity or availability, it does not directly enable system compromise or denial of service. However, the confidentiality breach alone can have serious consequences, especially in environments handling sensitive or regulated data. Organizations relying on macOS for critical operations, development, or data storage may face increased risk of data leaks. The requirement for user interaction and local access limits the attack surface somewhat but does not eliminate risk, particularly in environments where users may be targeted with social engineering or malicious files.

CWE-59Improper Link Resolution Before File Access (Link Following) (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessLikelihood of exploit: MediumOWASP Top 10 A01:2025: Broken Access Control (opens in a new tab)
The product attempts to access a file based on the filename, but it does not properly prevent that filename from identifying a link or shortcut that resolves to an unintended resource.
Architecture and Design · Separation of Privilege
Follow the principle of least privilege when assigning access rights to entities in a software system.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Authorization (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Symlink Attack (opens in a new tab)
Using Malicious Files (opens in a new tab)
Leverage Executable Code in Non-Executable Files (opens in a new tab)
Manipulating Web Input to File System Calls (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 3 Apr 2026, 02:52 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-59

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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