CVE-2026-34218 — ClearanceKit: Managed and user-defined policy rules not enforced between opfilter start and first policy modification
ClearanceKit intercepts file-system access events on macOS and enforces per-process access policies. Prior to version 4.2.14, two related startup defects created a window during which only the single compile-time baseline rule was enforced by opfilter. All managed (MDM-delivered) and user-defined file-access rules were not applied until the user interacted with policies through the GUI, triggering a policy mutation over XPC. This issue has been patched in version 4.2.14.
Who exploits it and how urgent it is
A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.
How the score was calculated
- EPSS 0.2% (30-day exploitation probability)+1
- Technical severity (medium)+3
The score orders the patch queue; it does not replace your asset context (internet exposure, criticality, compensating controls).
Triage
Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the sources call it.
CISA SSVC assessment CISA
Three decision points CISA publishes for the CVEs it assesses (SSVC 2.0.3). A stakeholder decision, not a severity score.
Remediation
Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.
- Documented patch — github.com (NIST National Vulnerability Database)
- Documented patch — github.com (NIST National Vulnerability Database)
First 24 hours
Ordered from the record’s own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found. A rule-generated starting point.
- Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Craigjbass Clearancekit).
- Apply the fixed version or the patch documented under Remediation.
- Search available logs for exploit probes matching the vulnerability class (privilege escalation), errors and authentication anomalies.
Affected scope
Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Craigjbass | Clearancekit | < 4.2.14 | Vulnerable | NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| Craigjbass | Clearancekit | version < 4.2.14 | Vulnerable | CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
Attack characteristics
The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.
Every base score collected
Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.
| Score | Version | Severity | Expl. | Impact | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6.3 | CVSS 4.0 | Medium | — | — | security-advisories@github.com via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| 6.3 | CVSS 4.0 | Medium | — | — | GitHub_M via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
| 5.5 | CVSS 3.1 | Medium | 1.8 | 3.6 | 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0 via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| 5.5 | CVSS 3.1 | Medium | — | — | CISA-ADP via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N (score shown at the top: 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0) Weakness MITRE
Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.
EPSS over time FIRST
Oct 13, 2026 → Oct 14, 2026 · 2 reading(s) · max 0.15%
Detection
Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.
- Local/physical vector: focus on endpoint telemetry (EDR) from affected hosts.
Timeline
What happened to this CVE, newest first.
- 2026
- Affected products added · craigjbass/clearancekit
- SSVC assessment updated
- Record published
- Fix documented
- CVSS changed · 5.5
- Source status changed · → Analyzed
- Record created in this database
- CVE published
Source activity
Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.
- 1× Official description updated · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026
References
3 on the record
Elsewhere on this site
Related CVEs (same products)
- Medium CVE-2026-47134 ClearanceKit: Policy signing key in System Keychain has permissive ACL allowing any local-root process to forge signed policy Jul 20, 2026
- Medium CVE-2026-47133 ClearanceKit's signed policy tables lack monotonic counter, allowing replay of older legitimately-signed snapshots Jul 20, 2026
- High CVE-2026-40599 ClearanceKit: Ad-hoc signed binaries can spoof Apple process identities in the global allowlist Apr 21, 2026
- Medium CVE-2026-40604 ClearanceKit: opfilter system extension can be suspended or signalled by a root process, disabling file-access policy enforcement Apr 21, 2026
- Medium CVE-2026-40191 ClearanceKit has a policy bypass via dual-path Endpoint Security events checking only source path Apr 10, 2026
- High CVE-2026-33631 ClearanceKit: opfilter policy bypass via non-open file operations Mar 26, 2026
Not in any source we poll
Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.
- No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
- No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
- No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.
Answered from this record
Text assembled only from the fields above — no additional claims.
What should defenders know first?
CVE-2026-34218 is "ClearanceKit: Managed and user-defined policy rules not enforced between opfilter start and first policy modification", rated Medium. It affects Clearancekit (Craigjbass); versions are in the scope table. It is not in CISA KEV, which does not rule out exploitation. CVSS 5.5 describes technical severity. EPSS 0.15% estimates the probability of exploitation in 30 days; neither replaces your asset context. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.
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