CVE-2026-20693
Received Received - Intake
Privilege Escalation in macOS Allows Deletion of Protected Files

Publication date: 2026-03-25

Last updated on: 2026-03-25

Assigner: Apple Inc.

Description
This issue was addressed through improved state management. This issue is fixed in macOS Sequoia 15.7.5, macOS Sonoma 14.8.5, macOS Tahoe 26.4. An attacker with root privileges may be able to delete protected system files.
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Meta Information
Published
2026-03-25
Last Modified
2026-03-25
Generated
2026-06-16
AI Q&A
2026-03-25
EPSS Evaluated
2026-06-15
NVD
CVE-2026-20693
EUVD
EUVD-2026-15067
Affected Vendors & Products
Showing 3 associated CPEs
Vendor Product Version / Range
apple macos From 14.0 (inc) to 14.8.5 (exc)
apple macos From 15.0 (inc) to 15.7.5 (exc)
apple macos From 26.0 (inc) to 26.4 (exc)
Helpful Resources
Exploitability
CWE
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KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-732 The product specifies permissions for a security-critical resource in a way that allows that resource to be read or modified by unintended actors.
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Executive Summary

This vulnerability involves an issue with state management in certain versions of macOS. Specifically, an attacker who already has root privileges may exploit this issue to delete protected system files.

Impact Analysis

If exploited, this vulnerability allows an attacker with root access to delete protected system files, which could lead to system instability, data loss, or compromise of system integrity.

Compliance Impact

I don't know

Detection Guidance

I don't know

Mitigation Strategies

To mitigate this vulnerability, update your macOS system to one of the fixed versions: macOS Sequoia 15.7.5, macOS Sonoma 14.8.5, or macOS Tahoe 26.4.

Since the vulnerability requires root privileges, ensure that root access is tightly controlled and monitored.

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