Widely deployed macOS endpoint OS; privilege escalation could disrupt IT operations across organizations.
CVE-2026-20631
macOS Tahoe 26.4: privilege escalation via logic flaw
Is CVE-2026-20631 being exploited?
Not confirmed. CVE-2026-20631 does not appear in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, which records only exploitation that has been observed and reported publicly. That is evidence of absence of a report, not evidence the flaw is unattacked. EPSS currently estimates a 0.30% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How severe is CVE-2026-20631?
CVE-2026-20631 is rated High with a CVSS score of 8.8. Severity describes how bad exploitation would be, not how likely it is: pair it with exploitation evidence before deciding what to patch first.
Is there a patch for CVE-2026-20631?
Yes. A fix has been recorded for CVE-2026-20631. The vendor advisory is the authority on the exact fixed version — apply it from there rather than from a summary.
What does CVE-2026-20631 affect?
CVE-2026-20631 affects Apple macOS Tahoe 26.4. Confirm the exact affected versions against the vendor advisory before deciding you are exposed.
What should I do about CVE-2026-20631?
Update to macOS Tahoe 26.4 on all endpoints
Exploitation status reflects CISA's KEV catalog as we last synced it. Check the catalog directly.
Local privilege escalation to root via flawed logic checks on macOS Tahoe 26.4
Patch when possible
- affected< 26.4
As published in the CVE Program record. A version outside these ranges is not a statement that it is unaffected — vendors sometimes understate a range, and distribution-backported builds carry upstream numbers that do not reflect what was patched into them.