dbcve.org
macOSOperating system · Apple

CVE-2026-20620

HIGH · 7.7 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 →
82/100
Remediation priority · High
No privileges Zero-click

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
An out-of-bounds read issue was addressed with improved input validation. This issue is fixed in macOS Sequoia 15.7.4, macOS Sonoma 14.8.4, macOS Tahoe 26.3. An attacker may be able to cause unexpected system termination or read kernel memory.

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 · high confidence

A kernel-level out-of-bounds read vulnerability in multiple macOS versions allows an attacker to potentially cause system crashes or read kernel memory via improper input validation. The flaw affects macOS Sequoia 15.7.4, Sonoma 14.8.4, and Tahoe 26.3, and was patched by Apple through improved input validation controls.

MitigationApply the relevant macOS security update (Sequoia 15.7.4, Sonoma 14.8.4, or Tahoe 26.3) to all affected systems and verify successful installation.

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
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
High

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

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. Check installed macOS version
    Open System Settings > General > About, or run `sw_vers -productVersion` in Terminal
    Affected if Version is 14.0 to 14.8.3, 15.0 to 15.7.3, or 26.0 to 26.2 (falls within any of the affected ranges)
  2. Confirm macOS release name
    Run `sw_vers -productVersion` and note the major version number (14 = Sonoma, 15 = Sequoia, 26 = Tahoe)
    Affected if The major version matches one of the affected branches (14.x, 15.x, or 26.x)
  3. Verify kernel patch status
    Check if the system has received security updates by viewing System Settings > General > About > System Settings > Software Update, or run `defaults read /System/Library/CoreServices/SystemVersion ProductVersion`
    Affected if The installed version is earlier than 14.8.4, 15.7.4, or 26.3 respectively

A system is affected if it runs macOS Sonoma 14.0-14.8.3, Sequoia 15.0-15.7.3, or Tahoe 26.0-26.2 and has not yet installed the corresponding security update.

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 relevant macOS security update (Sequoia 15.7.4, Sonoma 14.8.4, or Tahoe 26.3) to all affected systems and verify successful installation.

Recommended fix High confidence

macOS Sonoma 14.8.4, macOS Sequoia 15.7.4, or macOS Tahoe 26.3 (depending on your starting version)

  1. Back up your Mac using Time Machine or another backup method before proceeding with the update
  2. Open System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS versions)
  3. Navigate to General > Software Update
  4. Allow macOS to check for updates - the available update to your fixed version should appear
  5. Click 'Update Now' or 'Upgrade Now' to download and install the security update
  6. Restart your Mac when prompted to complete the installation
  7. After restarting, verify the update was successful by going to System Settings > General > About and confirming the macOS version matches the fixed release (14.8.4, 15.7.4, or 26.3 depending on your upgrade path)
Caveat Standard macOS security update; back up data before upgrading as a precaution; some older applications may have compatibility issues with newer macOS versions

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

Fix this in macOS Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-20620 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2026-20620 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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