macOS flaws enable root code execution and bypass Gatekeeper

Researchers led by Mr. Gedik have published a full write-up and a proof‑of‑concept harness for two macOS autofs flaws, CVE-2026-84568 and CVE-2026-84570, with Apple fixing both on 14 September 2026. The high‑severity issue CVE-2026-84568 enables root code execution when an attacker who can control a network directory server crafts a dangerous mount entry, exploiting a flawed autofs mount helper path to run a binary delivered over NFS.

In practice, a root‑originating lookup triggers the code and yields full control, whereas a user lookup runs code only in that user’s context. CVE-2026-84570 is a Gatekeeper bypass that allows directory‑supplied options to nullify the usual noexec and quarantine protections on NFS mounts, enabling an ad‑hoc signed app to launch from the mount without the normal approval step.

The two flaws are listed in Apple’s Golden Gate 27 security content, and public testing under the PoC shows the research environment rendering validators as “PASS” on an affected macOS 26.4 lab host; however, there are no reports of active exploitation in the wild at this time, and neither CVE is in CISA KEV.

Affected versions include macOS Sequoia prior to 15.8, macOS Tahoe prior to 26.7, and releases before macOS Golden Gate 27. Patches are available in 15.8, 26.7, and 27. Mitigation steps emphasise restricting who can alter automount maps and LDAP/Open Directory home‑directory attributes, logging directory changes that could add “dev” options, monitoring for automountd processes outside Apple’s mount helper folder, and flagging unexpected NFS mounts under /home.

The PoC and on‑host validators are published by the researcher, who describes the work as intended for an isolated lab containing an intentionally unpatched Mac.