CVE-2026-20632
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 · uneditedA parsing issue in the handling of directory paths was addressed with improved path validation. This issue is fixed in macOS Tahoe 26.4. 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 confidenceA path traversal vulnerability in macOS Tahoe 26.4 allows an application to access sensitive user data outside its intended directory scope due to insufficient validation of directory path inputs during parsing.
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>= 26.0, < 26.4CVSS 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
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify the installed macOS versionRun 'sw_vers -productVersion' in Terminal or go to Apple menu > About This Mac to view the version numberAffected if The version is 26.0, 26.1, 26.2, or 26.3 (any version >= 26.0 and < 26.4)
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Locate the path parsing componentInspect any custom or third-party applications that handle directory path inputs and perform file operations within the macOS Tahoe environmentAffected if The system contains applications that accept directory paths as user input and perform file operations without validating '..' sequences or resolving paths to ensure they stay within intended directories
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Review path validation in file operation codeSearch application code or configurations for file operation functions that use user-supplied directory paths without canonicalization checks (e.g., no resolution of '..' or containment validation)Affected if Applications process directory paths without checking if they resolve outside the intended directory scope
A user is affected if their macOS version is 26.0, 26.1, 26.2, or 26.3 and they run applications that perform file operations using directory path inputs without proper validation.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scoped26.4
Apply the macOS Tahoe 26.4 security update to remediate the vulnerability. Ensure applications implement proper path canonicalization and validation (e.g., checking for '..' sequences, validating paths resolve within allowed directories) before file operations.
macOS Tahoe 26.4
- Back up your Mac using Time Machine or another backup method before performing system updates
- Open System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS versions)
- Click on 'General' in the sidebar
- Click on 'Software Update'
- Wait for macOS to check for updates
- If macOS Tahoe 26.4 is available, click 'Update Now' to download and install the update
- Follow the on-screen instructions and restart your Mac when prompted
- After restarting, verify the update was successful by returning to Software Update and confirming version 26.4 is installed
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,088.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-20632 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-20632 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- 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
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