# CVE-2026-9560: Privilege escalation in OpenVPN Connect

> Local attackers can execute arbitrary commands with elevated privileges via the background service IPC channel in OpenVPN Connect for macOS.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.4 (`CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 26 May 2026
- **Updated:** 27 May 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-26rp-gp3x-v78c

## What is CVE-2026-9560?

CVE-2026-9560 is a critical vulnerability in OpenVPN Connect, published on 26 May 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Privilege escalation via background service of OpenVPN Connect 3.5.1 through 3.8.1 on macOS allows attackers to execute arbitrary commands with elevated privileges via local IPC channel

Weakness: CWE-648 (Incorrect Use of Privileged APIs), CWE-78 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command), CWE-270 (Privilege Context Switching Error), CWE-267 (Privilege Defined With Unsafe Actions)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-9560?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Openvpn Connect.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-9560?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-9560 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-9560 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-9560 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Public exploit code:

- CVE-2026-9560 - Draft (github_poc): https://github.com/HORKimhab/CVE-2026-9560

## Other vulnerabilities in OpenVPN Connect

- [CVE-2023-7245](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-7245/): Code injection in OpenVPN Connect (high 7.8)
- [CVE-2023-7224](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-7224/): Code injection in OpenVPN Connect (high 7.8)
- [CVE-2021-3613](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-3613/): Code injection in OpenVPN Connect (high 7.8)
- [CVE-2020-9442](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-9442/): Privilege escalation in n/a (high 7.8)
- [CVE-2024-8474](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-8474/): Information disclosure in OpenVPN Connect (high 7.5)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-9560 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-9560 is a critical vulnerability in OpenVPN Connect, published on 26 May 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-9560 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: OpenVPN Connect. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-9560/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-9560/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-9560
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-9560
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-9560

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-9560/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.