Critical

Sandbox bypass via symlink race condition in Apple Messages (Shortcuts)

IdentifiersCVE-2026-20677CWE-362· Concurrent Execution using Shared…

CVE-2026-20677 is a race condition in Apple Messages related to symbolic link handling. Due to improper handling of symlinks in a time-of-check/time-of-use (TOCTOU) scenario, a crafted Shortcut may be able to bypass sandbox restrictions. Apple addressed the issue with improved handling of symbolic links. The 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.

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ANALYST BRIEF

Impact, mitigation & remediation

What it means. What to do now. Patch path, mitigations, and the assume-compromise checklist.

Impact

What an attacker gets, and what they’ve been doing with it.

A successful exploit may allow sandbox restriction bypass in the context of the affected workflow (a Shortcut executed via/within Messages), potentially enabling access to resources or actions that should be blocked by the sandbox policy.

Mitigation

If you can’t patch tonight, do this now.

No specific workaround is provided by Apple in the referenced advisory content. As a compensating control prior to patching, reduce exposure by limiting installation/execution of untrusted Shortcuts and enforcing least-privilege controls/policies around Shortcut execution where possible.

Remediation

Patch, then assume compromise.

Apply vendor updates that include the fix: macOS Tahoe 26.3, macOS Sonoma 14.8.4, iOS 18.7.5, iPadOS 18.7.5, visionOS 26.3, iOS 26.3, iPadOS 26.3.

PUBLIC EXPLOITS

Exploits

No public exploits tracked yet. Mallory keeps watching.

VALID 0 / 0 TOTALView more in app

No public exploit code observed for this vulnerability.

EXPOSURE SURFACE

Affected products & vendors

Products and vendors Mallory has correlated with this vulnerability. Open in Mallory to drill down to specific CPE configurations and version ranges.

VendorProductType

AppleIpadosoperating_system

AppleIphone Osoperating_system

AppleMacosoperating_system

AppleVisionosoperating_system

Vendor-confirmed product mapping. Mallory continuously reconciles this list against your asset inventory.

ACTIVITY FEED

Recent activity

10 sources tracked across advisories, community write-ups, and news. New activity surfaces here as Mallory finds it.

10 SOURCESView more in app

handlers diary fullNews

Feb 11, 2026

Apple Patches Everything: February 2026 - SANS ISC

Messages/Shortcuts interaction issue allowing sandbox restriction bypass via a shortcut.

apple supportNews

Feb 11, 2026

About the security content of iOS 26.3 and iPadOS 26.3 - Apple Support

Lock-screen photos access with physical access due to input validation issue; fixed via input validation.

What this page doesn’t show

The version that knows your environment.

This page is what’s public. Mallory adds the parts that aren’t: which of your assets are affected, which adversaries are exploiting it right now, which detections to deploy, and what to do tonight.

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Exposure mapping

Query your assets running an affected version, and investigate the blast radius.

Threat actor evidence

Every observed campaign linking this CVE to a named adversary.

Associated malware

Malware families riding this exploit, with evidence and IOCs.

Detection signatures

YARA, Sigma, Snort, and vendor rules, auto-deployed to your SIEM.

Vendor-by-vendor mapping

Cross-references every affected SKU, including bundled OEM variants.

Social activity8