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macOSOperating system · Apple

CVE-2026-20699

MEDIUM · 6.2 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-03-25
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 14.8.5 / 15.7.5 or later.
See remediation →
67/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
A downgrade issue affecting Intel-based Mac computers was addressed with additional code-signing restrictions. This issue is fixed in macOS Sequoia 15.7.5, macOS Sonoma 14.8.5, macOS Tahoe 26.3, macOS Tahoe 26.4. An app may be able to access user-sensitive 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

A code-signing bypass vulnerability in macOS allowed apps to downgrade to vulnerable states on Intel-based Mac computers, enabling unauthorized access to user-sensitive data. Apple addressed this with additional code-signing restrictions in the specified macOS versions.

MitigationApply the appropriate macOS security update (Sequoia 15.7.5, Sonoma 14.8.5, Tahoe 26.3, or Tahoe 26.4) to Intel-based Mac systems to enforce the new code-signing restrictions.

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, < 14.8.5>= 15.0, < 15.7.5>= 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
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/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. Confirm CPU architecture is Intel
    Run 'sysctl -n machdep.cpu.brand_string' or check System Information > About > Processor on Intel-based Macs. Apple Silicon Macs are not affected.
    Affected if The system uses an Intel processor (not Apple Silicon)
  2. Check macOS version
    Run 'sw_vers -productVersion' or System Information > About > Software Version
    Affected if Version is 14.0 to 14.8.4 (Sonoma), 15.0 to 15.7.4 (Sequoia), or 26.0 to 26.2 (Tahoe)
  3. Verify code-signing enforcement
    Inspect the system for enforcement of code-signing restrictions using 'codesign -dv /path/to/app' on critical system applications
    Affected if Apps can be launched with downgraded code-signing states (vulnerable configuration)

An Intel-based Mac running any affected macOS version (14.x before 14.8.5, 15.x before 15.7.5, or 26.x before 26.3) is vulnerable if code-signing can be bypassed to allow app downgrades.

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 14.8.5 / 15.7.5 / 26.3 or later
Fixed in 14.8.515.7.526.3
Interim mitigation

Apply the appropriate macOS security update (Sequoia 15.7.5, Sonoma 14.8.5, Tahoe 26.3, or Tahoe 26.4) to Intel-based Mac systems to enforce the new code-signing restrictions.

Recommended fix High confidence

macOS Sonoma 14.8.5 / macOS Sequoia 15.7.5 / macOS 26.3 or later

  1. Open System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS)
  2. Navigate to General > Software Update
  3. Click 'Check for Update' or allow automatic updates
  4. Install the available security update (macOS Sonoma 14.8.5 or macOS Sequoia 15.7.5 or macOS 26.3/26.4 depending on your current version)
  5. Restart your Mac when prompted to complete the installation

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

Fix this in macOS Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,240
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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-2026-20699 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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