Directory Path Parsing Issue - Apple OS (pre-26.3,14.8.4,15.7.4,18.7.5)
CVE-2026-20653 Published on February 11, 2026
A parsing issue in the handling of directory paths was addressed with improved path validation. This issue is fixed in macOS Tahoe 26.3, macOS Sonoma 14.8.4, macOS Sequoia 15.7.4, iOS 18.7.5 and iPadOS 18.7.5, visionOS 26.3, iOS 26.3 and iPadOS 26.3. An app may be able to access sensitive user data.
Vulnerability Analysis
CVE-2026-20653 can be exploited with local system access, requires user interaction. This vulnerability is considered to have a low attack complexity. The potential impact of an exploit of this vulnerability is considered to have a high impact on confidentiality, with no impact on integrity and availability.
Weakness Type
What is a Directory traversal Vulnerability?
The software uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the software does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory.
CVE-2026-20653 has been classified to as a Directory traversal vulnerability or weakness.
Products Associated with CVE-2026-20653
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Affected Versions
Apple macOS:- Version unspecified and below 26.3 is affected.
- Version unspecified and below 26.3 is affected.
- Version unspecified and below 15.7 is affected.
- Version unspecified and below 14.8 is affected.
- Version unspecified and below 26.3 is affected.
- Version unspecified and below 18.7 is affected.
Exploit Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) scores estimate the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. The percentile shows you how this score compares to all other vulnerabilities.