Root privilege escalation via package validation flaw
Published Feb 11, 2026 · Updated Feb 11, 2026
Package validation in Apple macOS Tahoe before 26.3 allows local users to gain root privileges through a malicious app. The Security component accepts a vulnerable package that Apple now blocks, but Apple has not disclosed the specific validation failure. Successful exploitation requires local low-privileged app execution and grants root-level control over the affected Mac.
Summary
What happened
Package validation in Apple macOS Tahoe before 26.3 allows local users to gain root privileges through a malicious app. The Security component accepts a vulnerable package that Apple now blocks, but Apple has not disclosed the specific validation failure. Successful exploitation requires local low-privileged app execution and grants root-level control over the affected Mac.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-20658
- Published
- Feb 11, 2026
- Updated
- Feb 11, 2026
- Vendor
- Apple
- Product
- macOS
- Classifications
- T1068
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Feb 11, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Feb 11, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=unspecified <26.3
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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