dbcve.org
macOSOperating system · Apple

CVE-2026-20612

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-02-11
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 14.8.4 / 15.7.4 or later.
See remediation →
58/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
No privileges

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
A privacy issue was addressed with improved checks. This issue is fixed in macOS Sequoia 15.7.4, macOS Sonoma 14.8.4, macOS Tahoe 26.3. An app may be able to access sensitive user data.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

This is a macOS privacy vulnerability where an application could bypass restrictions and access sensitive user data that should have been protected. The fix involved implementing improved authorization checks to prevent unauthorized access to private user information.

MitigationApply the macOS security updates (Sequoia 15.7.4, Sonoma 14.8.4, or Tahoe 26.3) to patch the vulnerability. For enterprise environments, validate the update compatibility with critical applications before broad deployment.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
macOSOperating system
Affected:>= 14.0, < 14.8.4>= 15.0, < 15.7.4>= 26.0, < 26.3

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

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

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify the installed macOS version
    Click the Apple menu > About This Mac > Overview tab. The version number is displayed next to "macOS". Alternatively, run `sw_vers` in Terminal.
    Affected if The reported version falls within 14.0 to 14.8.3, 15.0 to 15.7.3, or 26.0 to 26.2.
  2. Verify the Security Update installation status
    Open System Settings > General > Software Update. Look for the installed security updates listed under "macOS [version] Security Update" or check the macOS Build Number in About This Mac > System Report > Software > macOS. Run `defaults read /System/Library/CoreServices/SystemVersion.plist ProductVersion` to confirm the base version.
    Affected if The system shows a base version within the affected ranges and the corresponding security update (14.8.4, 15.7.4, or 26.3) is not listed as installed.
  3. Check for recent authorization-related privacy access events
    Open Console.app, filter by "AuthorizationEvents" or review privacy access logs in System Settings > Privacy & Security > Accessibility or Contacts, Calendar, Photos, etc. Look for unexpected access patterns from applications.
    Affected if Applications without explicit user approval or unusual access to protected data classes is observed on unpatched versions.

A user is affected if their macOS version is 14.0-14.8.3, 15.0-15.7.3, or 26.0-26.2 and the corresponding security update has not been installed.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 14.8.4 / 15.7.4 / 26.3 or later
Fixed in 14.8.415.7.426.3
Interim mitigation

Apply the macOS security updates (Sequoia 15.7.4, Sonoma 14.8.4, or Tahoe 26.3) to patch the vulnerability. For enterprise environments, validate the update compatibility with critical applications before broad deployment.

Recommended fix High confidence

macOS Sonoma 14.8.4 (for 14.x), macOS Sequoia 15.7.4 (for 15.x), or macOS Tahoe 26.3 (for 26.x)

  1. Check current macOS version by clicking the Apple menu and selecting About This Mac
  2. Back up important data using Time Machine or another backup method before applying updates
  3. Open System Settings and navigate to General > Software Update
  4. Install the available security update: macOS Sonoma 14.8.4, macOS Sequoia 15.7.4, or macOS Tahoe 26.3 depending on your current version
  5. Restart your Mac when prompted to complete the update installation
  6. Verify the update was successfully installed by checking About This Mac again
Caveat Standard macOS point updates typically do not introduce breaking changes; always ensure a backup before updating

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in macOS Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,040
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Scan for this in your stack

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-20612 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data