> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://cortex-docs.paloaltonetworks.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://cortex-docs.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex-xdr-3.x-rn/cortex-xdr-release-information/features-introduced-in-2026-xdr/may-2026/release-highlights.md).

# Release Highlights

The following are the key highlights for this release.

| FEATURE                                 | DESCRIPTION                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        |
| --------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Advanced prevention for macOS and Linux | Neutralize privilege escalation attempts in near-real-time with macOS kernel behavioral monitoring.                                                                                                                                                                                                                |
| Device guardrails for SD cards          | Fortify your perimeter by blocking SD Card devices connected via the PCI Bus. This new capability closes a critical vector for data exfiltration and neutralizes a common entry point for malicious code.                                                                                                          |
| Mobile security updates                 | Streamline large-scale deployments with new Android zero-touch installation support via MDM providers like Workspace ONE and Intune.                                                                                                                                                                               |
| Real-time query management              | Save time and resources by analyzing your query results as soon as you see the initial findings, instead of waiting for a long query to finish. You can then refine, validate, or stop running queries.                                                                                                            |
| On-write malicious file detection       | Stop cross-platform threats from entering your network. You can now detect malicious mach-o files and non-native macOS binaries (such as Windows PEs and Linux ELFs) the moment they are saved to your system. We updated the Cortex XDR agent to provide comprehensive on-write detection for these binary types. |


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