Executive brief
macOS is Apple's operating system used on Mac computers. A flaw in how the system handles disk images—digital copies of storage media—can cause the system to crash or corrupt memory if a user mounts a maliciously crafted image. An attacker could exploit this by tricking users into mounting a malicious disk image, leading to system instability or potential privilege escalation.
Technical details
This vulnerability is a memory corruption issue (out-of-bounds write) in the APFS (Apple File System) component responsible for handling disk images. The flaw occurs when processing a specially crafted disk image, allowing an attacker to write data outside allocated memory bounds. The attack requires user interaction—mounting the malicious disk image—making it a local attack vector. Successful exploitation can result in unexpected system termination or kernel memory corruption. The issue was fixed by removing the vulnerable code and is patched in macOS Golden Gate 27 (released September 14, 2026).
Affected products
- Apple macOS Golden Gate before 27
Timeline
- 2026-09-14: patched: Fixed in macOS Golden Gate 27
- 2026-09-14: disclosed