CVE-2026-20697
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 permissions issue was addressed with additional restrictions. This issue is fixed in macOS Sequoia 15.7.5, macOS Sonoma 14.8.5, 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 · low confidenceA permissions issue in macOS allowed an application to access sensitive user data beyond its intended sandboxed access. The vulnerability was addressed through additional permission restrictions in the affected macOS versions.
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>= 14.0, < 14.8.5>= 15.0, < 15.7.5>= 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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Check macOS version via terminalRun 'sw_vers -productVersion' in Terminal to get the exact version number (e.g., 14.7.2, 15.3.1, 26.1.0)Affected if The version is 14.0 to 14.8.4, 15.0 to 15.7.4, or 26.0 to 26.3 (any version below the fixed releases)
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Identify the macOS release familyNote the major version number: 14.x = Sonoma, 15.x = Sequoia, 26.x = Tahoe. The first number in 'sw_vers' output indicates the releaseAffected if Running any of the three affected release families at a version below the fixed release
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Confirm version via System SettingsOpen System Settings > General > About and verify the 'macOS' version displayed thereAffected if The displayed version matches any of the affected ranges listed in step 1
If the installed macOS version is 14.x below 14.8.5, 15.x below 15.7.5, or 26.x below 26.4, the environment is affected by this sandbox permission bypass vulnerability.
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 · scoped14.8.515.7.526.4
Update macOS to version 15.7.5 (Sequoia), 14.8.5 (Sonoma), or 26.4 (Tahoe) or later to apply the permission restrictions that resolve this issue.
macOS Sequoia 15.7.5, macOS Sonoma 14.8.5, or macOS Tahoe 26.4 (depending on currently installed macOS version)
- Back up important data before performing any system upgrade
- Open System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS)
- Navigate to General > Software Update
- Allow the system to check for updates - macOS Sequoia 15.7.5, macOS Sonoma 14.8.5, or macOS Tahoe 26.4 should appear as available
- Click 'Update Now' or 'Upgrade Now' to install the security update
- Restart the system if prompted to complete the installation
- Verify the update was installed by returning to Software Update and confirming the system shows the fixed version
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,376.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-20697 — 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-2026-20697 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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