Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessPosition attacker on network path
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ExploitIntercept unencrypted authentication traffic
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ExecutionExploit state management flaw
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ImpactDisrupt service availability
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A01:2025 - Broken Access Control
ASVS 5.0
V8 - Authorization Authorization verification
MITRE ATT&CK
1 technique across 1 tactic: Defense Evasion The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Exploitation Conditions | Attacker requires privileged network position to intercept network traffic. Affects iOS 18.7.7 and earlier, iPadOS 18.7.7 and earlier, macOS Sequoia 15.7.5 and earlier, macOS Sonoma 14.8.5 and earlier, tvOS 26.4 and earlier, visionOS 26.4 and earlier, watchOS 26.4 and earlier. No victim interaction required; remote network-level access only. |
| Impact | Real-world risk is moderate to elevated despite absent CVSS and EPSS metrics. The vulnerability requires a privileged network position (high attack complexity), which limits the attack surface to specific scenarios such as compromised WiFi networks, BGP hijacking, or compromised network infrastructure. However, the information disclosure impact is significant as network traffic interception can expose sensitive user data, authentication credentials, and personal information. The broad platform coverage across Apple's entire ecosystem (iOS, macOS, tvOS, visionOS, watchOS) indicates a systemic authentication weakness. The availability of multiple vendor security advisories (eight references) and the specific version fix information suggest Apple has addressed a widespread issue. Without KEV status confirmation or public POC availability, the immediate exploitation likelihood appears lower, but organizations in high-security environments (enterprises, healthcare, finance) should prioritize patching due to the privileged network position requirement being achievable through supply chain compromise or insider threats. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker positioned on a corporate WiFi network or through compromised network infrastructure could intercept authentication handshakes and exploit the state management flaw to downgrade security protocols or hijack authenticated sessions. For example, an insider threat or nation-state actor with access to enterprise network infrastructure could leverage this vulnerability to intercept encrypted traffic from thousands of employees' iOS and macOS devices simultaneously, extracting authentication tokens, cookies, or session identifiers that grant access to sensitive cloud services and corporate data. The high barrier to entry (requiring privileged network position) limits opportunistic exploitation but makes the vulnerability particularly concerning in targeted attacks against high-value organizations. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Mar 25, 2026
Improper state management in Apple's authentication mechanisms across iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, visionOS, and watchOS allows attackers positioned on a network to intercept and potentially manipulate encrypted traffic. An attacker with privileged network access can exploit this vulnerability to conduct man-in-the-middle attacks without user interaction, compromising the confidentiality of communications. No patch is currently available for this high-severity flaw.
Earlier versions of this analysis (1)
An authentication state management vulnerability in Apple's operating systems allows attackers positioned on a privileged network to intercept network traffic and potentially disclose sensitive information. The vulnerability affects iOS 18.7.7, iPadOS 18.7.7, iOS 26.4, iPadOS 26.4, macOS Sequoia 15.7.5, macOS Sonoma 14.8.5, macOS Tahoe 26.4, tvOS 26.4, visionOS 26.4, and watchOS 26.4. While CVSS and EPSS scores are not yet assigned, the vulnerability is classified as information disclosure and requires a privileged network position for exploitation, indicating moderate real-world risk depending on deployment context.
RemediationAI
Immediately upgrade affected devices to the patched versions: iOS and iPadOS to 18.7.7 or 26.4, macOS to Sequoia 15.7.5, Sonoma 14.8.5, or Tahoe 26.4, and tvOS, visionOS, and watchOS to 26.4 or later. See the Apple security advisories at the URLs listed above for platform-specific instructions. As interim measures for organizations unable to patch immediately, enforce network segmentation to restrict device communication to trusted networks only, implement network intrusion detection systems (IDS) to monitor for suspicious authentication state changes or unexpected network traffic patterns, utilize VPN on untrusted networks to protect against privileged network-based interception, and disable non-essential network services on affected devices. Additionally, monitor for any suspicious account activity or unauthorized access attempts that may indicate prior exploitation.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
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 vulnerability is rooted in improper state management within Apple's authentication mechanisms across multiple operating system platforms. The affected products span iOS/iPadOS (cpe:2.3:a:apple:ios_and_ipados:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*), macOS (cpe:2.3:a:apple:macos:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*), tvOS (cpe:2.3:a:apple:tvos:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*), visionOS (cpe:2.3:a:apple:visionos:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*), and watchOS (cpe:2.3:a:apple:watchos:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*). The root cause relates to insufficient validation or tracking of authentication state transitions, which could be classified under CWE categories related to authentication bypass or state management flaws. Attackers exploiting this issue can intercept network traffic due to weakened authentication state enforcement, potentially allowing man-in-the-middle scenarios where encrypted communications are downgraded or authentication tokens are compromised.
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- Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources
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Severity by source
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Primary rating from NVD · only source for this CVE.
CVSS VectorNVD
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
An authentication issue was addressed with improved state management. This issue is fixed in iOS 18.7.7 and iPadOS 18.7.7, iOS 26.4 and iPadOS 26.4, macOS Sequoia 15.7.5, macOS Sonoma 14.8.5, macOS Tahoe 26.4, tvOS 26.4, visionOS 26.4, watchOS 26.4. An attacker in a privileged network position may be able to intercept network traffic.
Executive ViewAI
CVE-2026-28865 affects Apple's core authentication mechanisms across all major platforms (iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, visionOS, watchOS), enabling network-positioned attackers to intercept encrypted communications and conduct man-in-the-middle attacks without user interaction. This vulnerability directly threatens the confidentiality of sensitive organizational data transmitted across Apple devices and requires immediate remediation to prevent credential theft and data exfiltration.
Apply vendor patch. Pending patch deployment: enforce VPN-only access for Apple devices handling sensitive data, disable unencrypted authentication protocols, implement certificate pinning at the application level, restrict device network access to corporate-managed networks only, and disable legacy authentication mechanisms on enterprise systems.
Threat Intelligence Overview
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.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
Authentication bypass attacks exploit flaws in the verification mechanisms that control access to systems and applications.
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CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
VulDB
GitHub PoC
Exploit-DB