CVE-2026-22926: Omnissa Workspace ONE Assist macOS Local Privilege Escalation

Technical summary

This vulnerability is rooted in a path traversal issue (CWE-22) within Omnissa Workspace ONE Assist on macOS. The flaw permits a local, authenticated user operating with limited privileges to execute operations that should be restricted to elevated accounts. The attack has low complexity, requires no user interaction, and impacts the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected system. With a CVSS v3.1 score of 7.8 (HIGH severity), the vulnerability represents a meaningful risk to macOS deployments relying on this management tool.

Business impact

Compromise of Workspace ONE Assist could allow an insider or local attacker to escalate privileges and gain full control of a managed macOS endpoint. This threatens data confidentiality, system integrity, and availability. In enterprise environments, this could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive corporate data, installation of persistent malware, lateral movement to other systems, or deployment of ransomware. Organizations using Omnissa Workspace ONE for endpoint management should treat this as a priority risk.

Affected systems

Omnissa Workspace ONE Assist for macOS is affected. Organizations should check their current deployment inventory for all installations of this tool on macOS systems, including user devices, developer machines, and shared systems. Verify the precise affected version range through the Omnissa security advisory.

Exploitability

Exploitation requires local access to a macOS system running the affected software and a user account with standard (non-administrative) privileges. The attack vector is local, complexity is low, and no user interaction is needed. This means any standard user already authenticated to a system could exploit this vulnerability. The relative ease of exploitation combined with the high impact of privilege escalation makes this a credible threat in environments where user access is already provisioned.

Remediation

Omnissa has released patches to address this vulnerability. Organizations must apply the vendor-provided patches to all affected Workspace ONE Assist installations on macOS systems. Verify the patched version number in the official Omnissa security advisory to ensure complete coverage.

Patch guidance

Identify all macOS systems with Workspace ONE Assist installed across your organization. Consult the Omnissa security advisory for the specific patched version and availability date. Plan a staged deployment to minimize disruption: test patches in a small pilot group first, then roll out to broader user populations. For centrally managed devices, leverage Omnissa's management console to push updates. For BYOD or self-managed systems, communicate patch requirements to users with clear deadlines. Verify successful patching through inventory scans or agent reporting.

Detection guidance

Monitor system logs on macOS endpoints for suspicious privilege escalation attempts, particularly those involving Workspace ONE Assist processes. Look for failed setuid or authorization-related errors followed by successful privilege gain from standard user contexts. Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) tools should flag unusual process spawning with elevated permissions originating from the Assist application. Conduct file integrity monitoring on Workspace ONE Assist binaries and libraries to detect tampering or unauthorized modifications that might indicate exploitation.

Why prioritize this

This vulnerability merits prompt patching because it enables unauthenticated privilege escalation on already-compromised or internally-accessed systems. The low attack complexity, lack of user interaction requirement, and high impact on system confidentiality, integrity, and availability combine to create meaningful risk. In organizations with mixed or BYOD macOS fleets, this represents an attractive attack path for insiders or supply-chain actors with local foothold.

Risk score, explained

The CVSS 3.1 score of 7.8 (HIGH) reflects a local attack vector requiring existing user privileges, but with no interaction needed and full impact across confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The score appropriately captures the severity for endpoints where local access may already be achievable by multiple threat actors. Organizations should not discount this as low-risk simply because local access is a prerequisite; insider threats, BYOD device compromise, and phishing-compromised systems all establish that prerequisite regularly.

Frequently asked questions