CVE-2026-39309: Trilium Notes: macOS TCC Bypass via Prompt Spoofing

Published May 19, 2026
·
Updated

Trilium Notes is a cross-platform, hierarchical note taking application focused on building large personal knowledge bases. In versions 0.102.1 and prior, the Electron configuration is vulnerable to TCC Bypass via Prompt Spoofing, allowing local attackers to trigger misleading macOS permission prompts by running malicious code under the identity of the trusted app. The root cause is that the RunAsNode fuse allows launching the app in a special Node.js mode using -e to execute arbitrary system commands with Trilium Notes's permissions and identity. An attacker can leverage this through a subprocess to request any sensitive permissions, such as access to hardware (camera, microphone) and TCC-protected files, causing the TCC system prompt to appear as if the request came from Trilium rather than the attacker's code, because macOS treats the subprocess as part of the parent application. Exploitation allows access to TCC-protected resources like the screen, camera, microphone, and folders such as ~/Documents and ~/Downloads, undermining macOS's security model and UI integrity through social engineering. This issue has been fixed in version 0.102.2.

Affected Software

1 affected component
Trilium Notes Trilium Notes<=0.102.1

Remediation

Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.

  1. Upgrade

    Upgrade Trilium Notes to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 0.102.2

Event History

May 19, 2026
CVE Published
via MITRE·11:54 PM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·11:54 PM
DescriptionSeverityWeakness
May 20, 2026
Data Sourced
via NVD·12:16 AM
DescriptionSeverityWeakness

Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of CVE-2026-39309?

The CVE-2026-39309 vulnerability has a high severity rating due to its potential for local privilege escalation.

2

How do I fix CVE-2026-39309?

To fix CVE-2026-39309, update Trilium Notes to version 0.102.2 or later.

3

What versions of Trilium Notes are affected by CVE-2026-39309?

Trilium Notes versions up to and including 0.102.1 are affected by CVE-2026-39309.

4

What type of vulnerability is CVE-2026-39309?

CVE-2026-39309 is classified as a TCC Bypass via Prompt Spoofing vulnerability.

5

Can CVE-2026-39309 be exploited remotely?

No, CVE-2026-39309 is a local vulnerability that requires local user access to exploit.

Contact

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