CVE-2026-43689

Analyzed Analyzed - Analysis Complete

Privilege Escalation in Apple iOS and macOS

Publication date: 2026-09-14

Last updated on: 2026-09-15

Assigner: Apple Inc.

Description

A permissions issue was addressed with additional restrictions. This issue is fixed in iOS 26.7 and iPadOS 26.7, iOS 27 and iPadOS 27, macOS Golden Gate 27, visionOS 27. A malicious app may be able to gain root privileges.

CVSS Scores

EPSS Scores

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Meta Information

Published

2026-09-14

Last Modified

2026-09-15

Generated

2026-10-05

AI Q&A

2026-09-15

EPSS Evaluated

2026-10-04

NVD

CVE-2026-43689

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
apple	ipados	to 26.7 (exc)
apple	iphone_os	to 26.7 (exc)
apple	macos	to 27.0 (exc)
apple	visionos	to 27.0 (exc)

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE

KEV

CWE ID	Description
CWE-862	The product does not perform an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action.

Attack-Flow Graph

Executive Summary

This is a permissions issue in Apple operating systems where a malicious app could potentially gain root privileges. Root privileges allow full control over the system, including accessing sensitive data or performing unauthorized actions.

Detection Guidance

This vulnerability involves a permissions issue allowing root access. Detection requires checking system logs for unusual privilege escalation attempts or unauthorized app installations. Monitor for processes running as root with unexpected origins. Use commands like 'ps aux | grep root' to inspect root processes and 'log show --predicate 'eventMessage contains "privilege"' to review system logs for privilege-related events.

Impact Analysis

If exploited, this vulnerability could allow an attacker to take complete control of your device. This might lead to unauthorized access to personal data, installation of malicious software, or disruption of device functionality.

Compliance Impact

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

Mitigation Strategies

Update affected Apple devices to the latest versions (iOS 26.7 or later, iPadOS 26.7 or later, macOS Golden Gate 27, visionOS 27) to address the permissions issue and prevent root privilege escalation.

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