CVE-2026-86889

Analyzed Analyzed - Analysis Complete

Certificate Validation Flaw in macOS Golden Gate

Publication date: 2026-09-14

Last updated on: 2026-09-16

Assigner: Apple Inc.

Description

A certificate validation issue was addressed with improved certificate validation. This issue is fixed in macOS Golden Gate 27, macOS Sequoia 15.8, macOS Tahoe 26.7. An attacker in a privileged network position may be able to intercept network traffic.

CVSS Scores

EPSS Scores

Probability:
Percentile:

Meta Information

Published

2026-09-14

Last Modified

2026-09-16

Generated

2026-10-05

AI Q&A

2026-09-15

EPSS Evaluated

2026-10-04

NVD

CVE-2026-86889

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
apple	macos	From 15.0 (inc) to 15.8 (exc)
apple	macos	From 26.0 (inc) to 26.7 (exc)

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE

KEV

CWE ID	Description
CWE-295	The product does not validate, or incorrectly validates, a certificate.

Attack-Flow Graph

Executive Summary

This vulnerability is a certificate validation issue that could allow an attacker in a privileged network position to intercept network traffic. It was addressed with improved certificate validation in specific macOS versions.

Detection Guidance

This vulnerability involves a certificate validation issue that may allow network traffic interception. To detect it, inspect system certificates for validity and check for unusual network traffic patterns. Use commands like 'openssl s_client -connect [hostname]:443 -showcerts' to verify certificate chains or 'nmap --script ssl-cert-introspection [target]' to analyze SSL certificates on your network.

Impact Analysis

An attacker could potentially intercept sensitive data transmitted over the network, such as login credentials or personal information, by exploiting this certificate validation flaw.

Compliance Impact

The provided CVE data does not specify direct impacts on compliance with standards like GDPR or HIPAA. The vulnerability involves a certificate validation issue that could allow network traffic interception, which may indirectly affect data confidentiality and integrity.

Mitigation Strategies

Update affected macOS systems to the latest versions (Golden Gate 27, Sequoia 15.8, or Tahoe 26.7) to apply the certificate validation fix. Ensure all systems use trusted certificate authorities and avoid connecting to untrusted networks. Monitor network traffic for anomalies and revoke any compromised certificates.

Hi! I’m here to help you understand CVE-2026-86889. Ask me anything about the vulnerability, its impact, or mitigation strategies.

0/70