Path Handling Flaw in macOS Golden Gate 27 Allows Root Privilege Escalation

Publication date: 2026-09-14

Last updated on: 2026-09-14

Assigner: Apple Inc.

Description

A path handling issue was addressed with improved validation. This issue is fixed in macOS Golden Gate 27, macOS Sequoia 15.8, macOS Tahoe 26.7. An app may be able to gain root privileges.

CVSS Scores

EPSS Scores

Probability:
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Meta Information

Published

2026-09-14

Last Modified

2026-09-14

Generated

2026-09-15

AI Q&A

2026-09-15

EPSS Evaluated

N/A

NVD

CVE-2026-43691

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
apple	macos_golden_gate	27
apple	macos_sequoia	15.8
apple	macos_tahoe	26.7

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE

KEV

CWE ID	Description
CWE-22	The product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory.

Attack-Flow Graph

Executive Summary

This vulnerability is a path handling issue that could allow an app to gain root privileges. It was addressed with improved validation in specific macOS versions.

Impact Analysis

An attacker could exploit this to gain elevated privileges on your system, potentially allowing them to execute arbitrary code with root access.

Mitigation Strategies

Update to the latest versions of macOS Golden Gate 27, macOS Sequoia 15.8, or macOS Tahoe 26.7 to address the path handling issue and prevent potential root privilege escalation.

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