CVE-2026-49237
Local Privilege Escalation in Canonical Multipass
Description
An issue was discovered in Canonical Multipass for macOS before version 1.16.3 due to an incomplete fix for CVE-2025-5199. While the patch in version 1.16.0 updated the ownership of the multipassd daemon binary to root:wheel, five co-located binaries (multipass, qemu-img, qemu-system-aarch64, qemu-system-x86_64, and sshfs_server) in /Library/Application Support/com.canonical.multipass/bin/ retain ownership by the installing user and remain writable. Because the root LaunchDaemon (com.canonical.multipassd.plist) configures a PATH environment variable that prioritizes this user-writable directory and invokes these auxiliary binaries by their bare names, a local attacker can replace an auxiliary binary (such as qemu-img) with a malicious wrapper. When the root daemon subsequently triggers the binary during routine execution (e.g., via multipass launch), the malicious code executes with root privileges, leading to local privilege escalation.
INFO
Published Date :
May 28, 2026, 2:16 p.m.
Last Modified :
Oct. 14, 2026, 8:10 p.m.
Remotely Exploit :
No
Source :
[email protected]
CVSS Scores
| Score | Version | Severity | Vector | Exploitability Score | Impact Score | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS | 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0 | |||||
| CVSS 3.1 | HIGH | cc1ad9ee-3454-478d-9317-d3e869d708bc | ||||
| CVSS 3.1 | HIGH | [email protected] | ||||
| CVSS 3.1 | HIGH | MITRE-CVE |
Solution
- Update Multipass for macOS to version 1.16.3 or later.
- Verify ownership and permissions of binaries in the specified directory.
- Remove or correct writable files owned by the user.
- Monitor system for unauthorized root access.
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools
Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth
information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to
CVE-2026-49237.
| URL | Resource |
|---|---|
| https://github.com/canonical/multipass/security/advisories/GHSA-r2xg-x32f-23c5 | Exploit Third Party Advisory |
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-49237 is
associated with the following CWEs:
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification
(CAPEC)
stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and
approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2026-49237
weaknesses.
We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).
Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.
The following list is the news that have been mention
CVE-2026-49237 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2026-49237 vulnerability over time.
Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.
-
CVE Translated by [email protected]
Oct. 14, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Translation Title: Multipass de Canonical, Description: Se descubrió un problema en Canonical Multipass para macOS anterior a la versión 1.16.3 debido a una corrección incompleta para CVE-2025-5199. Si bien el parche en la versión 1.16.0 actualizó la propiedad del binario del demonio multipassd a root:wheel, cinco binarios colocalizados (multipass, qemu-img, qemu-system-aarch64, qemu-system-x86_64 y sshfs_server) en /Library/Application Support/com.canonical.multipass/bin/ conservan la propiedad del usuario que los instaló y permanecen escribibles. Debido a que el LaunchDaemon raíz (com.canonical.multipassd.plist) configura una variable de entorno PATH que prioriza este directorio escribible por el usuario e invoca estos binarios auxiliares por sus nombres simples, un atacante local puede reemplazar un binario auxiliar (como qemu-img) con un envoltorio malicioso. Cuando el demonio raíz posteriormente activa el binario durante la ejecución rutinaria (por ejemplo, a través de multipass launch), el código malicioso se ejecuta con privilegios de root, lo que lleva a una escalada de privilegios local. -
CVE Modified by [email protected]
Jun. 17, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Affected [{'vendor': 'Canonical', 'product': 'Multipass', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '0', 'lessThan': '1.16.3', 'versionType': 'semver'}], 'platforms': ['MacOS'], 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}] -
CVE Modified by 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0
Jun. 17, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added SSVC {'id': 'CVE-2026-49237', 'role': 'CISA Coordinator', 'options': [{'exploitation': 'none'}, {'automatable': 'no'}, {'technicalImpact': 'total'}], 'version': '2.0.3', 'timestamp': '2026-05-28T15:15:18.418559Z'} -
Initial Analysis by [email protected]
Jun. 01, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added CPE Configuration AND OR *cpe:2.3:a:canonical:multipass:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions up to (excluding) 1.16.3 OR cpe:2.3:o:apple:macos:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Added Reference Type Canonical Ltd.: https://github.com/canonical/multipass/security/advisories/GHSA-r2xg-x32f-23c5 Types: Exploit, Third Party Advisory -
New CVE Received by [email protected]
May. 28, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Description An issue was discovered in Canonical Multipass for macOS before version 1.16.3 due to an incomplete fix for CVE-2025-5199. While the patch in version 1.16.0 updated the ownership of the multipassd daemon binary to root:wheel, five co-located binaries (multipass, qemu-img, qemu-system-aarch64, qemu-system-x86_64, and sshfs_server) in /Library/Application Support/com.canonical.multipass/bin/ retain ownership by the installing user and remain writable. Because the root LaunchDaemon (com.canonical.multipassd.plist) configures a PATH environment variable that prioritizes this user-writable directory and invokes these auxiliary binaries by their bare names, a local attacker can replace an auxiliary binary (such as qemu-img) with a malicious wrapper. When the root daemon subsequently triggers the binary during routine execution (e.g., via multipass launch), the malicious code executes with root privileges, leading to local privilege escalation. Added CVSS V3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Added CWE CWE-276 Added Reference https://github.com/canonical/multipass/security/advisories/GHSA-r2xg-x32f-23c5