CVE-2026-43693

Undergoing Analysis Undergoing Analysis - In Progress

Race Condition in macOS Leading to Root Privilege Escalation

Publication date: 2026-07-27

Last updated on: 2026-07-29

Assigner: Apple Inc.

Description

A race condition was addressed with improved state handling. This issue is fixed in macOS Sequoia 15.7.8, macOS Sonoma 14.8.8, macOS Tahoe 26.6. An app may be able to gain root privileges.

CVSS Scores

EPSS Scores

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Meta Information

Published

2026-07-27

Last Modified

2026-07-29

Generated

2026-08-17

AI Q&A

2026-07-28

EPSS Evaluated

2026-08-15

NVD

CVE-2026-43693

EUVD

EUVD-2026-49613

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
apple	macos	From 14.0 (inc) to 14.8.8 (exc)
apple	macos	From 15.0 (inc) to 15.7.8 (exc)
apple	macos	From 26.0 (inc) to 26.6 (exc)

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE

KEV

CWE ID	Description
CWE-362	The product contains a concurrent code sequence that requires temporary, exclusive access to a shared resource, but a timing window exists in which the shared resource can be modified by another code sequence operating concurrently.

Attack-Flow Graph

Executive Summary

This vulnerability is a race condition in Apple macOS versions prior to Sequoia 15.7.8, Sonoma 14.8.8, and Tahoe 26.6. A race condition occurs when a system's behavior depends on the sequence or timing of uncontrollable events, which can lead to unexpected results. In this case, the issue allows an app to potentially gain root privileges, which is the highest level of access on a system.

Detection Guidance

This vulnerability is a race condition in macOS that could allow an app to gain root privileges. Detection requires checking if your macOS version is affected and monitoring for unusual privilege escalation attempts. Use 'sw_vers' to check your macOS version and compare it against the fixed versions (Sequoia 15.7.8, Sonoma 14.8.8, Tahoe 26.6).

Impact Analysis

If exploited, this vulnerability could allow a malicious app to gain root privileges on your device. This means the app could execute commands with full system control, access sensitive data, install unauthorized software, or make system-wide changes without your consent. Users running unpatched macOS versions are at risk.

Compliance Impact

The vulnerability allows an app to gain root privileges through a race condition, which could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive data. This may violate compliance requirements under GDPR (data protection) and HIPAA (health information security) by enabling unauthorized data access or modification.

Mitigation Strategies

Update to the latest patched versions of macOS Sequoia 15.7.8, macOS Sonoma 14.8.8, or macOS Tahoe 26.6 to address the race condition and prevent potential root privilege escalation.

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