CVE-2026-33092: Acronis True Image Privilege Escalation

CVE-2026-33092 Overview

CVE-2026-33092 is a local privilege escalation vulnerability affecting Acronis True Image products on macOS. The vulnerability stems from improper handling of environment variables, which can be exploited by a local attacker with low privileges to elevate their access to high-level system privileges. This security flaw is classified under CWE-15 (External Control of System or Configuration Setting).

Critical Impact

Local attackers can exploit improper environment variable handling to gain elevated privileges on macOS systems running vulnerable versions of Acronis True Image, potentially achieving full system compromise.

Affected Products

• Acronis True Image OEM (macOS) before build 42571
• Acronis True Image (macOS) before build 42902

Discovery Timeline

• April 10, 2026 - CVE-2026-33092 published to NVD
• April 13, 2026 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-33092

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability allows local privilege escalation through improper handling of environment variables in Acronis True Image for macOS. The attack requires local access to the target system and low privileges to initiate, but requires no user interaction to exploit. A successful attack can lead to complete compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected system.

The root cause lies in how the application processes external input through environment variables, failing to properly validate or sanitize these values before using them in privileged operations. This falls under CWE-15 (External Control of System or Configuration Setting), where an attacker can influence system behavior by manipulating external settings.

Root Cause

The vulnerability is caused by CWE-15: External Control of System or Configuration Setting. The application improperly handles environment variables, allowing a local attacker to manipulate these values to influence privileged operations. When the application executes with elevated privileges, it trusts environment variable values without proper validation, creating an opportunity for privilege escalation.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is local, requiring an attacker to have initial access to the target macOS system with low-level user privileges. The exploitation flow involves:

1. The attacker identifies environment variables that influence the behavior of Acronis True Image components
2. Malicious values are injected into these environment variables
3. When privileged Acronis components execute and reference these variables, the attacker-controlled values redirect execution flow or load malicious resources
4. This results in arbitrary code execution with elevated system privileges

The vulnerability mechanism involves the improper trust of environment variable input during privileged operations. For detailed technical information, refer to the Acronis Security Advisory SEC-9407.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-33092

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual modifications to environment variables associated with Acronis True Image processes
• Unexpected child processes spawned by Acronis True Image with elevated privileges
• Anomalous file access patterns or library loads from non-standard paths by Acronis components
• System log entries indicating privilege escalation attempts targeting Acronis binaries

Detection Strategies

• Monitor for suspicious environment variable manipulation on systems running Acronis True Image
• Implement endpoint detection rules to identify abnormal process behavior from Acronis components
• Review macOS system logs for privilege escalation indicators related to Acronis processes
• Deploy file integrity monitoring on critical Acronis True Image installation directories

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable detailed logging for Acronis True Image components and monitor for anomalies
• Implement process monitoring to detect unexpected privilege elevation by local users
• Configure alerts for unauthorized modification of environment variables affecting privileged applications
• Regularly audit user accounts with local access to systems running vulnerable Acronis versions

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-33092

Immediate Actions Required

• Update Acronis True Image OEM (macOS) to build 42571 or later
• Update Acronis True Image (macOS) to build 42902 or later
• Restrict local access to systems running vulnerable versions until patching is complete
• Review and audit user accounts with local access to affected systems

Patch Information

Acronis has released security patches addressing this vulnerability. For Acronis True Image OEM (macOS), upgrade to build 42571 or later. For Acronis True Image (macOS), upgrade to build 42902 or later. Detailed patch information is available in the Acronis Security Advisory SEC-9407.

Workarounds

• Limit local user access to systems running vulnerable Acronis True Image versions
• Implement strict user account policies and principle of least privilege
• Monitor and restrict environment variable modifications through endpoint security tools
• Consider temporarily disabling non-essential Acronis services until patches can be applied

# Check current Acronis True Image build version on macOS
# Navigate to Applications folder and check app info
mdls -name kMDItemVersion /Applications/Acronis\ True\ Image.app

# Verify installation meets minimum patched versions:
# - Acronis True Image OEM: build 42571 or later
# - Acronis True Image: build 42902 or later