Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
A flaw in macOS memory handling could let an app write beyond an intended boundary and crash the system. The supplied record rates it critical, but the cited evidence specifically confirms unexpected system termination rather than broader compromise. Apple has fixed the issue in current updates for three macOS release families.
Executive priority
Treat remediation as urgent because the supplied severity is critical and affected systems may terminate unexpectedly. Accelerate patching on critical Macs, but do not characterize this as actively exploited or confirmed remote compromise based on the available evidence.
Technical view
CVE-2026-43802 is a CWE-787 out-of-bounds write addressed through improved bounds checking. Apple states that an app may cause unexpected system termination. Fixes are included in macOS Sequoia 15.7.8, Sonoma 14.8.8, and Tahoe 26.6. The source bundle does not identify the affected component or precise vulnerable version range.
Likely exposure
Macs on Sequoia earlier than 15.7.8, Sonoma earlier than 14.8.8, or Tahoe earlier than 26.6 should be investigated. Exact lower affected-version boundaries are not provided, and the affected-version placeholders in the supplied record are not meaningful enough for precise inventory matching.
Exploitation context
No cited source establishes active exploitation, and the supplied bundle marks the CVE as absent from KEV. The stated impact requires an app, while the supplied CVSS vector indicates network reachability without user interaction. That inconsistency prevents a confident conclusion about the practical attack path.
Researcher notes
The record supplies CVSS 3.1 score 9.8 and CWE-787, but its network vector conflicts with Apple's app-based impact statement. Component details, attack prerequisites, vulnerable version boundaries, and evidence of confidentiality or integrity impact are absent. Researchers should avoid extrapolating beyond denial-of-service potential until Apple or the CVE record provides more detail.
Mitigation direction
- Update Sequoia systems to 15.7.8 or a later vendor-supported release.
- Update Sonoma systems to 14.8.8 or a later vendor-supported release.
- Update Tahoe systems to 26.6 or a later vendor-supported release.
- Prioritize exposed, privileged, and business-critical Macs while consulting Apple guidance.
Validation and detection
- Inventory macOS release families and exact installed versions.
- Confirm updated devices report Sequoia 15.7.8, Sonoma 14.8.8, Tahoe 26.6, or later.
- Verify security updates completed successfully and required restarts occurred.
- Review endpoint telemetry for unexplained application-linked system terminations.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-787: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2026-43802 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Critical
- CVSS
- 9.8 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
SSVC decision data
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H3.95.9CISA-ADPVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
9.8CriticalVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Vulnerability timeline
Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.
- CVE reservedCVE Program
The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.
- CVE publishedCVE Program
The CVE record was published.
- CVE updatedCVE Program
The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.
ADP provider summaries
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/128067CVE reference, apple
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/128071CVE reference, apple
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/128072CVE reference, apple
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Out-of-bounds Write
Out-of-bounds Write represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.