CVE-2026-32323

Root code execution via unverified installer bundle

Published May 19, 2026 · Updated May 19, 2026

Local privilege escalation in Mullvad VPN App for macOS 2026.1 and earlier allows local users to execute code as root during installation. The package preinstall script invokes Mullvad VPN.app/Contents/Resources/mullvad-setup from the administrator-writable /Applications path without authenticating the bundle or dropping privileges. An administrator-group user must pre-place a crafted app bundle and wait for an installation or upgrade, after which the substituted binary runs with root privileges.

CVSS severityUnavailable
Unscored
EPSS probability0.11%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Local privilege escalation in Mullvad VPN App for macOS 2026.1 and earlier allows local users to execute code as root during installation. The package preinstall script invokes Mullvad VPN.app/Contents/Resources/mullvad-setup from the administrator-writable /Applications path without authenticating the bundle or dropping privileges. An administrator-group user must pre-place a crafted app bundle and wait for an installation or upgrade, after which the substituted binary runs with root privileges.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-32323
Published
May 19, 2026
Updated
May 19, 2026
Vendor
Mullvad VPN AB
Product
Mullvad VPN App
Classifications
T1068
Attack vector
local
Privileges
admin

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. May 19, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. May 19, 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.

  1. Affected versionversion=< 2026.2-beta1

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesadmin

What is affected?

Mullvad VPN AB · Mullvad VPN Appversion=< 2026.2-beta1

Published CVSS scores

No CVSS assessment is available in this record.

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

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.

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No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesadmin
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

T1068Exploitation for Privilege Escalation

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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