CVE-2026-20641
Published: 11 February 2026
Summary
CVE-2026-20641 is a high-severity Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor (CWE-200) vulnerability in Apple Macos. Its CVSS base score is 7.1 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Software Discovery (T1518); ranked at the 3.4th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
Threat & Defense at a Glance
Threat & Defense Details
Likely Mitigating ControlsAI
Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.
Automated marking applies security attributes to system outputs, making it harder for attackers to exploit unmarked sensitive information leading to unauthorized exposure.
Proper attribute retention and permitted-value enforcement limits unauthorized actors from accessing sensitive information lacking correct labels.
Prevents unauthorized exposure of sensitive information by prohibiting untrusted external systems from processing or storing it.
By enforcing authorization matching prior to sharing, the control reduces the risk of exposing sensitive information to unauthorized actors.
Review and removal of nonpublic information from publicly accessible systems directly prevents exposure of sensitive data to unauthorized actors.
Data mining protection mechanisms detect and block unauthorized bulk extraction of sensitive data, directly mitigating exposure to unauthorized actors.
Literacy training teaches users to recognize and avoid actions that result in unauthorized exposure of sensitive information.
Retaining and monitoring training records confirms personnel have completed privacy and security awareness training on handling sensitive data, reducing the chance of unauthorized exposure due to lack of knowledge.
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
Vulnerability directly enables local enumeration of installed applications by a malicious app (CWE-200 info disclosure), mapping to Software Discovery.
NVD Description
A privacy issue was addressed with improved checks. This issue is fixed in iOS 18.7.5 and iPadOS 18.7.5, iOS 26.3 and iPadOS 26.3, macOS Sequoia 15.7.4, macOS Sonoma 14.8.4, macOS Tahoe 26.3, tvOS 26.3, visionOS 26.3, watchOS 26.3. An app…
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may be able to identify what other apps a user has installed.
Deeper analysisAI
CVE-2026-20641 is a privacy vulnerability classified under CWE-200, enabling a malicious app to identify other apps installed on a user's device through inadequate checks. It affects multiple Apple operating systems, including iOS and iPadOS versions prior to 18.7.5 and 26.3, macOS Sequoia prior to 15.7.4, macOS Sonoma prior to 14.8.4, macOS Tahoe prior to 26.3, tvOS prior to 26.3, visionOS prior to 26.3, and watchOS prior to 26.3. Published on 2026-02-11, the issue carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.1 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N).
The vulnerability can be exploited by an attacker with local access who tricks a user into installing a malicious app, requiring no privileges but necessitating user interaction. Upon exploitation, the app achieves high confidentiality impact by exposing the user's installed app list and high integrity impact, potentially allowing further privacy-invasive actions without affecting availability.
Apple's security advisories confirm the issue was fixed with improved checks in the specified software updates across affected platforms. Mitigation involves applying these patches promptly: iOS/iPadOS 18.7.5 or 26.3, macOS Sequoia 15.7.4, macOS Sonoma 14.8.4, macOS Tahoe 26.3, tvOS 26.3, visionOS 26.3, and watchOS 26.3. Detailed information is available in Apple support documents at https://support.apple.com/en-us/126346, https://support.apple.com/en-us/126347, https://support.apple.com/en-us/126348, https://support.apple.com/en-us/126349, and https://support.apple.com/en-us/126350.
Details
- CWE(s)