VulnerabilityPublished 25 Mar 2026Updated 2 Apr 2026

CVE-2026-28892: Apple macOS · An app may be able to modify protected parts of the file system

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 29 Oct 2026, 19:04 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

5.5Medium

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

EPSS: 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 7% 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:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N

Attack Vector: Local
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: None
Integrity: High
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: Low: The attacker is authorized with (i.e., requires) privileges that provide basic user capabilities that could normally affect only settings and files owned by a user. Alternatively, an attacker with Low privileges may have the ability to cause an impact only to non-sensitive resources.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
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: None: There is no loss of confidentiality within the impacted component.
Integrity: High: There is a total loss of integrity, or a complete loss of protection. For example, the attacker is able to modify any/all files protected by the impacted component. Alternatively, only some files can be modified, but malicious modification would present a direct, serious consequence to 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 29 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

Apply the official patches released by Apple immediately: macOS Sequoia 15.7.5, Sonoma 14.8.5, and Tahoe 26.4 contain the fix that removes the vulnerable code.
Restrict local access to macOS systems to trusted users only, minimizing the risk of exploitation by untrusted applications or users.
Employ application whitelisting and endpoint protection solutions that monitor and block unauthorized attempts to modify protected file system areas.
Regularly audit system integrity using tools like Apple’s System Integrity Protection (SIP) status checks and third-party integrity monitoring solutions.
Educate users about the risks of running untrusted applications or scripts that could exploit local vulnerabilities.
Implement strict privilege separation and avoid running unnecessary services or applications with elevated privileges.
Monitor logs and system behavior for unusual file system modifications that could indicate exploitation attempts.
Maintain up-to-date backups to recover quickly in case of system compromise.

Description

A permissions issue was addressed by removing the vulnerable code. 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 modify protected parts of the file system.

Impact

The primary impact of CVE-2026-28892 is on system integrity, as it allows an application with limited privileges to modify protected parts of the macOS file system. This can enable attackers to implant persistent malicious code, alter system binaries, or manipulate system configurations, potentially leading to privilege escalation or system instability. Although confidentiality and availability are not directly affected, the integrity compromise can indirectly facilitate further attacks that impact these areas. Organizations relying on macOS for critical operations, development, or sensitive data processing may face increased risk of targeted attacks or insider threats exploiting this vulnerability. The requirement for local access limits remote exploitation, but insider threats or malware already running with user-level privileges could leverage this flaw. The absence of known exploits in the wild reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the potential for future exploitation once the vulnerability details become widely known.

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 3 Apr 2026, 03:17 UTC

Technical details

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