Description

A memory corruption issue was addressed by removing the vulnerable code. This issue is fixed in macOS Golden Gate 27. Mounting a maliciously crafted disk image may cause unexpected system termination or corrupt kernel memory.

Executive Summary

Technical Details

Mitigations

References

Additional Metadata

{
  "score": "6.5",
  "pubDate": "2026-09-14T21:17:34.887Z",
  "pubdate": "2026-09-14T21:17:34.887Z",
  "executiveSummary": "A critical memory corruption vulnerability has been identified within the disk image handling logic of macOS Golden Gate 27.\nThis vulnerability allows a local, unauthenticated attacker to induce memory corruption by providing a maliciously crafted disk image file.\nThe successful exploitation of this flaw can result in unexpected system termination (kernel panic) or the silent corruption of kernel memory structures, potentially compromising system integrity.\nBecause the issue involves the processing of disk image formats, the primary vector requires a user to initiate the mounting of a crafted image, although this may be automated via malicious installers or external media.\nThe risk implication is significant as memory corruption in the kernel context can be leveraged to bypass security controls or achieve arbitrary code execution, depending on the nature of the corruption.\nThis flaw affects macOS Golden Gate 27; users are advised that the vulnerability was addressed through the removal of the compromised code paths responsible for the memory management error.",
  "technicalDetails": "The vulnerability originates from unsafe handling of disk image metadata during the mount process. When the kernel or the associated disk image driver parses the structure of a crafted disk image, it fails to perform adequate bounds checking or validation on specific fields contained within the image header or its filesystem structures.\nThe root cause is a memory safety issue, likely a buffer overflow or an out-of-bounds write occurring during the parsing of malicious disk image structures. When the parsing logic encounters the malformed data, it writes beyond the intended memory buffer, overwriting adjacent kernel objects or metadata. This violation of memory integrity leads to undefined behavior within the kernel execution environment.\nThe attack flow follows a structured path: first, the attacker crafts an image file containing specific, non-conformant metadata designed to trigger the out-of-bounds memory operation. Second, the attacker delivers this image to the target system. Third, upon mounting the image, the kernel's image parsing routine processes the malicious payload. If the parsing logic does not correctly validate the input length or structure, the resulting memory operation corrupts heap or stack memory allocated to the kernel.\nThe impact of this corruption depends on the specific memory pages targeted. If critical kernel structures (such as function pointers, process credentials, or page tables) are overwritten, the system will enter an unstable state, leading to a kernel panic to prevent further damage. In more severe scenarios, an attacker may carefully craft the payload to perform 'heap grooming' or object overwriting, potentially redirecting execution flow to attacker-controlled memory segments.\nThe vulnerability is limited to local exploitation, as it requires the ability to mount a disk image on the target system. No network exposure is inherent to the vulnerability itself, although the delivery mechanism for the malicious image could be remote. No authentication is required, as the kernel-level parsing occurs as part of the standard system operation for mounting volumes, provided the user has sufficient permissions to mount media or trigger auto-mount events.\nPost-exploitation, the attacker may achieve escalation of privileges if the memory corruption facilitates control over kernel thread execution or system security tokens."
}