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Apple iOS CVE-2026-84622

| EUVDEUVD-2026-78032 MEDIUM
Use of Uninitialized Resource (CWE-908)
2026-09-14 apple GHSA-p7c2-qmvr-mg76
6.2
CVSS 3.1 · Vendor: apple
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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Obtain root on Apple device
  2. Exploit
    Run malicious app as root
  3. Execution
    Trigger uninitialized kernel buffer path
  4. Impact
    Read leaked kernel memory contents

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Variable initialization
Exploitation Conditions

Exploitation requires local code execution as root on the target Apple OS (iOS/iPadOS 26.7 or 27, macOS Sequoia 15.8 / Tahoe 26.7 / Golden Gate 27, tvOS 27, visionOS 27, watchOS 27). The attacker must already possess root privileges and run an app that reaches the affected kernel code path; there is no remote, network, or user-interaction vector. The root prerequisite is the dominant limiting factor - the flaw yields only uninitialized kernel memory to a process that already holds the highest local privilege, so it is a post-compromise information leak rather than an initial-access or privilege-escalation primitive. Note the vendor's PR:N metric contradicts this stated root requirement.

Impact

This is a genuinely low real-world priority despite the 6.2 (Medium) CVSS. The signals align on low urgency: EPSS is 0.17% (7th percentile), there is no CISA KEV listing, and no public exploit code has been identified. The single most important limiting factor is buried in the description: exploitation requires 'an app with root privileges.' A CWE-908 uninitialized-memory read only ever leaks kernel data to a process that has ALREADY achieved root - meaning the attacker already holds the highest local privilege before the flaw yields anything. IMPORTANT DATA CONFLICT: the vendor CVSS vector encodes PR:N (no privileges required), which directly contradicts the description's explicit 'root privileges' precondition. This is almost certainly a scoring error - the correct value is PR:H, which lowers the base score to roughly 4.4. Treat the vendor's PR:N as unreliable. The impact is confidentiality-only (C:H, I:N, A:N): a small window of uninitialized kernel memory that may contain residual sensitive data. Overall this is a defense-in-depth / attack-surface-reduction fix, not an emergency patch.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker who has already gained root on an Apple device (via a separate exploit or a rooted/managed device) runs a malicious app that invokes the affected kernel path and reads back a buffer that was never fully initialized, harvesting residual kernel memory contents (potentially pointers or secrets useful for further exploitation). No public exploit code exists and the local-only, root-gated nature makes opportunistic use unlikely.

This Month Plan within 30 days. Why: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9).
Patch available 0.2% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Sep 17, 2026

Uninitialized kernel memory disclosure in Apple's operating system family allows a local app that already holds root privileges to read residual data left in kernel memory buffers, an information-leak primitive that exposes potentially sensitive kernel memory contents. The flaw is fixed across iOS/iPadOS 26.7 and 27, macOS Sequoia 15.8, macOS Tahoe 26.7, macOS Golden Gate 27, tvOS 27, visionOS 27, and watchOS 27, so affected users should update promptly. No public exploit code has been identified at time of analysis, and EPSS places the probability of exploitation at roughly 0.17% (7th percentile), consistent with the assessment that the mandatory root prerequisite - the attacker must already be running code at the highest local privilege level - makes this a post-compromise leak rather than an initial-access or privilege-escalation primitive, and a genuinely low real-world priority despite the 6.2 Medium base score.

RemediationAI

Vendor-released patch: iOS 26.7 and iPadOS 26.7, iOS 27 and iPadOS 27, macOS Sequoia 15.8, macOS Tahoe 26.7, macOS Golden Gate 27, tvOS 27, visionOS 27, and watchOS 27 - update every affected device to the matching release and prioritise macOS/iOS endpoints where root-capable code commonly runs. Apply the fixes via normal software update or MDM-deployed update enforcement, referencing the Apple advisories at https://support.apple.com/en-us/149034 through https://support.apple.com/en-us/149043 for per-platform version mapping. Because exploitation requires root, meaningful compensating controls are limited and are about reducing the population of root-capable code rather than blocking the flaw itself: remove or tightly restrict unnecessary apps and services that run as root or are installed with elevated entitlements, keep System Integrity Protection and hardened runtime enabled, and enforce least privilege plus supervised/notarized-only app policy on managed fleets - each reduces the exposure window but does not eliminate the leak and constrains legitimate administrative workflows. Monitor for processes performing anomalous kernel memory reads or repeated reads of kernel address ranges as a detection mitigation, accepting that this is detective rather than preventive. No network-level control applies, since the vector is strictly local with no user interaction; there is no public exploit identified at time of analysis, but patch latency should still be short given the breadth of affected platforms.

Affected VersionsENISA

macOS 0 <27
tvOS 0 <27
visionOS 0 <27
macOS 0 <15.8
iOS and iPadOS 0 <27
macOS 0 <26.7
iOS and iPadOS 0 <26.7
watchOS 0 <27

Affected Packages

euvd ios_and_ipados fix: 26.7, 27
euvd macos fix: 15.8, 26.7, 27
euvd tvos fix: 27
euvd visionos fix: 27
euvd watchos fix: 27

Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)

Affects your stack

Affects 5 packages in euvd

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

The root cause is classified as CWE-908 (Use of Uninitialized Resource): kernel memory buffers were not fully initialized before being returned or exposed, so a process reaching the affected kernel code path can observe stale contents of previously used kernel memory. This maps to the Apple XNU kernel's memory-handling routines, and Apple's advisory language ('a memory initialization issue was addressed with improved memory handling') indicates a code-level fix that zero-initializes or otherwise sanitizes the buffer before release. The published CPE set confirms the defect spans Apple's entire OS line - apple:ios_and_ipados, apple:macos, apple:tvos, apple:visionos, and apple:watchos - underlining that the shared kernel code is the affected technology rather than a single application. The vector (AV:L/AC:L/UI:N/C:H/I:N/A:N) confirms local-only, no-user-interaction, high-confidentiality impact with no integrity or availability effect, i.e., a pure kernel information disclosure. Note that the vendor vector carries PR:N while the authoritative assessment requires root (PR:H); the root requirement is the correct operational reading, and the discrepancy should be verified rather than assumed away.

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Severity by source

Vendor (apple) PRIMARY 6.2 MEDIUM
AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
vuln.today AI 4.4 MEDIUM

Local app vector (AV:L), no complexity or interaction, but the description requires root so PR:H; impact is a kernel memory read only, hence C:H/I:N/A:N.

3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
4.0 AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:H/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Primary rating from Vendor (apple).

CVSS VectorVendor: apple

Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

Lifecycle Timeline

4
CVSS changed
Sep 17, 2026 - 16:22 NVD
6.2 (MEDIUM)
Patch available
Sep 14, 2026 - 22:19 EUVD
CVE Published
Sep 14, 2026 - 20:48 cve.org
UNKNOWN (no severity yet)
CVE Published
Sep 14, 2026 - 20:48 cve.org
MEDIUM 6.2

DescriptionCVE.org

A memory initialization issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in iOS 26.7 and iPadOS 26.7, iOS 27 and iPadOS 27, macOS Golden Gate 27, macOS Sequoia 15.8, macOS Tahoe 26.7, tvOS 27, visionOS 27, watchOS 27. An app with root privileges may be able to read uninitialized kernel memory.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.2%
Top 93% exploitable
Prevalence
Ubiquitous
Apple consumer OS across iPhone, iPad, Mac, TV, Watch, Vision
Data Quality
4 sources
Confidence: Medium

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity MEDIUM
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.2%
Patch available Yes
Active threat No
Deciding rule
MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived
Scheduled
Exploitation· derived
None
System Exposure· derived
Small
Automatable· derived
No
Human Impact· derived
High

Priority Score

31
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +31
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Information disclosure occurs when an application unintentionally exposes sensitive data that aids attackers in reconnaissance or directly compromises security.

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