CVE-2026-47114: IINA macOS Command Execution
High CVSS (8.8) vulnerability; prioritize internet-facing assets.
TL;DR - CVE-2026-47114 allows arbitrary command execution through malicious
iina://openURLs. - IINA versions before 1.4.3 are affected; upgrade macOS installations to 1.4.3 or later. - Exploitation requires user approval of the browser protocol prompt. - No confirmed active exploitation is known, and the vulnerability is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog according to the supplied assessment.
Summary
CVE-2026-47114 is a high-severity IINA vulnerability affecting the open-source media player for macOS. The flaw involves IINA’s handling of the iina://open custom URL scheme. A crafted URL can contain malicious mpv_-prefixed query parameters, including mpv_options and input-commands, which are passed to IINA’s embedded mpv runtime without adequate validation.
Exploitation is user-assisted. A victim must receive or visit a crafted link and approve the browser’s request to open IINA. After approval, attacker-controlled parameters can cause arbitrary commands to execute with the privileges of the logged-in macOS user. A valid media file is not necessarily required.
Organizations should prioritize upgrading affected systems and review CVE remediation best practices as part of their broader vulnerability-management process.
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| CVE | CVE-2026-47114 |
| Product | IINA for macOS |
| Affected versions | All versions before 1.4.3 |
| CVSS | 8.8 High |
| Attack vector | Remote delivery through a crafted iina://open URL, with user interaction |
| Authentication | No application authentication required; browser protocol approval is required |
| Privileges required | No prior privileges required; commands run as the current macOS user |
| Patch available | Yes |
| Fixed version | IINA 1.4.3 |
| CISA KEV | Not listed at the time of assessment |
The NVD publication date is 2026-05-21, and the record was last modified on 2026-07-23. The supplied NVD data includes the CVSS score but does not expose the complete vector string. Defenders should confirm the vector directly in the NVD record before using it for formal compliance or risk-scoring decisions.
Analyst’s Take: Patch inventory should come first because the fixed version is available and the vulnerable path is limited to systems with IINA installed. Monitoring remains useful during rollout, but it does not remove the need to upgrade. Successful commands run as the current macOS user after the protocol prompt is approved.
Root Cause
The root cause is insufficient validation of attacker-controlled query parameters received through IINA’s custom URL scheme handler. The relevant URL path is iina://open, which allows external content to request that IINA open a resource. Parameters with mpv_ prefixes can be mapped into options for the embedded mpv runtime, while input-commands can influence command processing.
The vulnerable flow is:
- A victim receives or visits a malicious web link.
- The browser asks whether the link should be opened with IINA.
- The victim approves the custom-protocol prompt.
- IINA parses the URL and processes attacker-controlled parameters.
- The resulting values reach mpv functionality without sufficient restrictions.
- Commands execute as the current macOS user.
This is not equivalent to a completely silent drive-by compromise because the browser prompt creates a user-interaction requirement. However, users may approve protocol prompts when they appear to be associated with a video, audio file, or trusted website.
The attack also does not depend on the victim supplying a valid media file, which broadens the practical attack surface.
Technical Details
The vulnerable input is associated with the iina://open URL scheme and parameters such as mpv_-prefixed options, mpv_options, and input-commands. A suspicious example pattern for investigation is:
iina://open?...mpv_options=...&input-commands=...
The exact malicious command encoding should not be inferred solely from the URL text. URL encoding, parameter normalization, and browser handling can alter the visible representation. Detection should therefore combine URL-handler telemetry with IINA process launches and child-process activity.
Who Is Exposed?
The affected product is IINA for macOS. According to the NVD description, all IINA versions before 1.4.3 are affected. The relevant exposure is specifically tied to installations that register and handle the iina:// custom URL scheme. Systems without IINA installed are not exposed to this application-specific command path.
Organizations should prioritize Macs where IINA is installed for users who regularly browse the web, receive links through email or collaboration platforms, or work with untrusted media content. Shared workstations, developer systems, and endpoints where the user has access to sensitive files deserve particular attention because successful commands inherit the permissions of the current account.
| Version condition | Status |
|---|---|
| IINA earlier than 1.4.3 | Affected |
| IINA 1.4.3 | Fixed version |
| IINA later than 1.4.3 | Expected to contain the fix, subject to vendor release validation |
| IINA not installed | Not exposed to this IINA-specific handler |
The supplied research does not identify a separate affected macOS version range, nor does it establish that every downstream package or repackaged build carries the same patch state. Administrators should verify the actual installed IINA version rather than relying only on an application catalog or package name.
Severity Breakdown
CVE-2026-47114 has a reported CVSS base score of 8.8, rated High. The score reflects the impact of arbitrary command execution combined with remote delivery and a requirement for user interaction. Once exploitation succeeds, commands run with the privileges of the current macOS user, potentially allowing access to user-owned files, credentials available to that account, and other local resources.
The precise CVSS vector was not exposed in the returned NVD record used for this assessment. The following interpretation describes the reported attack characteristics without fabricating vector components.
| Severity factor | Assessment |
|---|---|
| Impact | Arbitrary command execution as the current macOS user |
| Delivery | Crafted URL delivered through browser or another link-capable application |
| User interaction | Required; victim must approve the custom-protocol launch prompt |
| Authentication | No IINA authentication is required |
| Privilege context | Current logged-in macOS user |
| Scope | The supplied record does not provide enough detail to independently characterize every formal CVSS scope component |
| Overall score | 8.8 High |
The score should not be discounted simply because a prompt appears. User-assisted URL-handler vulnerabilities are practical when links are delivered through email, chat, social media, advertisements, or compromised websites. The prompt requirement is still an important control opportunity: browser hardening, user training, and monitoring of custom-protocol launches can reduce successful exploitation while patching is underway.
Exploitation Status
CVE-2026-47114 is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog according to the supplied assessment. There is no CISA KEV date added, remediation due date, required action, or ransomware-campaign indicator to report.
This means there is no confirmed CISA-tracked exploitation status, not that exploitation is impossible or that the vulnerability is low risk.
Public technical information is available. The NVD references a technical write-up describing command execution through IINA’s URL scheme, and the upstream project provides a fix commit and the 1.4.3 release. That is sufficient to classify the vulnerability as publicly documented. The available evidence does not independently confirm a public working proof of concept in a specific repository, nor does it confirm active exploitation in the wild.
The appropriate status is therefore:
- Public technical disclosure: Yes.
- Confirmed public PoC: Not established by the supplied evidence.
- Confirmed active exploitation: No.
- CISA KEV listing: No.
- Ransomware campaign association: Not reported.
Security teams should still treat unpatched systems as high risk. A browser-delivered custom URL is a relatively accessible delivery mechanism, and the resulting command execution occurs in the context of a real user account.
Sources
The primary vulnerability record is the National Vulnerability Database entry for CVE-2026-47114:
The technical disclosure describes command execution through IINA’s URL scheme:
The upstream fix is available in the IINA GitHub repository:
The fixed release is:
An additional advisory reference is available from VulnCheck:
For exploitation prioritization, consult the CISA catalog directly:
The current assessment does not establish confirmed in-the-wild exploitation or a confirmed public proof of concept beyond public technical disclosure. Organizations should base urgency on exposure, user behavior, and availability of the 1.4.3 fix while continuing to monitor vendor, NVD, and CISA updates.
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Detection Guidance
Detection should focus on three related signals:
- Invocation of the
iina://scheme. - Unusual query parameters associated with mpv configuration or input commands.
- Unexpected child processes spawned after IINA launches.
A single process event may be benign because users may legitimately open media links. Correlation across the URL, parent process, user approval timing, and child-process behavior is more useful.
Endpoint telemetry should record IINA launches, the responsible browser or messaging application, command-line arguments where available, and descendants such as shells, scripting interpreters, download tools, or system administration utilities.
macOS privacy controls can limit visibility into some process and file events, so validate coverage on representative managed endpoints before treating an absence of telemetry as evidence of no activity.
Technical Detection Patterns
Search browser, proxy, URL-handler, or endpoint telemetry for the custom scheme and suspicious parameter names:
iina://open
mpv_options
input-commands
mpv_
A generic SIEM query pattern can be adapted to the available schema:
process_name = "IINA"
OR url startswith "iina://open"
OR url contains "mpv_options"
OR url contains "input-commands"
OR url contains "mpv_"
For endpoint process telemetry, investigate IINA executions followed shortly by interpreters or shells. The following is a conceptual example, not a vendor-specific detection rule:
parent_process.name IN ("IINA", "IINA.app")
AND child_process.name IN (
"sh", "bash", "zsh", "osascript",
"python", "python3", "perl", "ruby",
"curl", "wget"
)
AND timestamp(child_process) - timestamp(parent_process) <= 60 seconds
A useful network-side pattern is an HTTP or web-proxy request containing an iina://open link or URL-encoded equivalents of mpv_options, input-commands, or mpv_. Network monitoring may miss links delivered through encrypted messaging or local files, so endpoint telemetry remains important.
Do not rely on a single literal string match. Attackers can URL-encode parameter names, vary capitalization where parsers permit it, or place the link in HTML rather than plain text. Preserve decoded and raw URL fields where possible, and investigate events where the browser or mail client launches IINA immediately before unusual process creation.
Remediation Steps
The definitive remediation is to upgrade IINA to version 1.4.3 or later. The upstream project identifies release v1.4.3 and fix commit 1e6f43248dab9d6ae303781c790e5315cbc9fcef.
After upgrading, verify that the endpoint is running the intended build and that the old application bundle is not still present in another user’s home directory or in an unmanaged applications path.
For managed deployments, use the organization’s approved software-distribution system rather than asking users to download arbitrary copies. Confirm the installed version across laptops, shared Macs, virtualized macOS environments, and test devices that may browse untrusted content. If IINA is not required, removal is a reasonable compensating action.
Upgrade With Homebrew
For a Homebrew Cask installation, run:
brew update
brew upgrade --cask iina
Administrators should verify the installed application version after the package operation. The exact command or bundle metadata can vary by packaging method, so use the organization’s software inventory tooling as the authoritative source.
For an application bundle installed in /Applications, an example inventory check is:
defaults read "/Applications/IINA.app/Contents/Info.plist" CFBundleShortVersionString
The expected result is 1.4.3 or a later version. If IINA is installed elsewhere, adjust the path or query the endpoint-management inventory.
Temporary Mitigations
If immediate upgrading is impossible, use these temporary controls:
- Restrict or block the
iina://URL scheme through managed browser or endpoint controls where technically feasible. - Prevent browsers and messaging clients from automatically opening custom protocols.
- Train users not to approve unexpected prompts asking to open IINA.
- Monitor IINA launches and suspicious child processes.
- Remove IINA from endpoints where the application is not business-required.
These measures are workarounds, not a substitute for upgrading. Blocking the protocol can affect legitimate workflows, and user prompts can be bypassed through social engineering or alternate delivery paths. Reassess exceptions and remove temporary restrictions after confirming that IINA 1.4.3 or later is deployed.