Root privilege escalation via bounds-check failure
Published Sep 14, 2026 · Updated Sep 14, 2026
Out-of-bounds write in Apple macOS before 15.8, 26.7, or 27 allows local users to gain root privileges through a malicious app. The Directory Utility component performs an out-of-bounds write because its bounds checks do not constrain an internal memory operation. The app must already execute locally; successful exploitation elevates that app to root, and Apple has not disclosed the affected function or input format.
Summary
What happened
Out-of-bounds write in Apple macOS before 15.8, 26.7, or 27 allows local users to gain root privileges through a malicious app. The Directory Utility component performs an out-of-bounds write because its bounds checks do not constrain an internal memory operation. The app must already execute locally; successful exploitation elevates that app to root, and Apple has not disclosed the affected function or input format.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-84505
- Published
- Sep 14, 2026
- Updated
- Sep 14, 2026
- Vendor
- Apple
- Product
- macOS
- Classifications
- T1068
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- Unavailable
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Sep 14, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Sep 14, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.
Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=0 <15.8
- Affected versionversion=0 <26.7
- Affected versionversion=0 <27
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
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.
Weakness, pattern, technique
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
See the directory against your own environment.
Your stack
Check the software in your environment
Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.
Book a demo