Apple macOS/iOS path handling flaw enabling arbitrary file write (pre-26.3)
CVE-2026-20660 Published on February 11, 2026

A path handling issue was addressed with improved logic. This issue is fixed in macOS Tahoe 26.3, macOS Sonoma 14.8.4, iOS 18.7.5 and iPadOS 18.7.5, visionOS 26.3, iOS 26.3 and iPadOS 26.3, Safari 26.3. A remote user may be able to write arbitrary files.

NVD

Vulnerability Analysis

CVE-2026-20660 is exploitable 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 no impact on confidentiality, a high impact on integrity, and no impact on availability.

Attack Vector:
LOCAL
Attack Complexity:
LOW
Privileges Required:
NONE
User Interaction:
REQUIRED
Scope:
UNCHANGED
Confidentiality Impact:
NONE
Integrity Impact:
HIGH
Availability Impact:
NONE

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-2026-20660 has been classified to as a Directory traversal vulnerability or weakness.


Products Associated with CVE-2026-20660

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Affected Versions

Apple Safari: Apple macOS: Apple visionOS: Apple macOS: Apple iOS and iPadOS: Apple iOS and iPadOS:

Exploit Probability

EPSS
0.05%
Percentile
16.33%

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.