CVE-2026-20624: 
macOS vulnerability analysis and mitigation

CVE-2026-20624 is an injection vulnerability in the AppleMobileFileIntegrity component of macOS that allows a malicious app to access sensitive user data. It affects macOS Sonoma versions before 14.8.4, macOS Sequoia versions before 15.7.4, and macOS Tahoe versions before 26.3. The vulnerability was disclosed and patched on February 11, 2026, and was discovered by security researcher Mickey Jin (@patch1t). It carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.5 (Medium) (Apple Sequoia Advisory, Apple Sonoma Advisory, Apple Tahoe Advisory).

The vulnerability is classified as CWE-863 (Incorrect Authorization) and stems from insufficient input validation within the AppleMobileFileIntegrity subsystem, which is responsible for enforcing code signing and integrity policies on macOS. An injection issue in this component allows a locally-executed app to bypass authorization checks and gain unauthorized access to sensitive user data. Exploitation requires local access and user interaction (e.g., running a malicious app), with no privileges required. Apple addressed the issue with improved validation in the affected component (Apple Sequoia Advisory, Apple Tahoe Advisory).

Successful exploitation allows a malicious application to access sensitive user data that it would not normally be permitted to read, impacting confidentiality. There is no direct impact on integrity or availability based on the available information. The scope is limited to the local system, but unauthorized data access could expose personal files, credentials, or other protected information stored on the affected macOS device (Apple Sequoia Advisory, Apple Sonoma Advisory).

Apple has released patches addressing this vulnerability in macOS Sonoma 14.8.4, macOS Sequoia 15.7.4, and macOS Tahoe 26.3, all released on February 11, 2026. Users should update their macOS installations to these versions or later as soon as possible. No configuration-based workarounds have been published; upgrading to a patched version is the recommended and only known remediation (Apple Sequoia Advisory, Apple Sonoma Advisory, Apple Tahoe Advisory).

The vulnerability was credited to Mickey Jin (@patch1t), a prolific macOS security researcher known for discovering multiple Apple platform vulnerabilities. No significant public commentary, media coverage, or social media discussion specific to CVE-2026-20624 has been identified beyond standard vulnerability database entries and security scanner updates (Apple Sequoia Advisory).