Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
-
AccessDistribute malicious app to target
-
DeliveryUser installs and launches app
-
ExploitApp triggers kernel memory operation
-
ExecutionBuffer boundary violated in kernel routine
-
ImpactKernel memory corrupted or system terminated
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Bounds checking, buffer size validation
MITRE ATT&CK
2 techniques across 2 tactics: Execution, Privilege Escalation The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Exploitation Conditions | Exploitation requires the target user to install and execute a malicious application on an affected Apple device running iOS or iPadOS prior to 26.6.1, or macOS Tahoe prior to 26.6.2. User interaction is required (UI:R per CVSS vector), meaning the user must actively run the app. No elevated privileges are required for the triggering application itself (PR:N per CVSS). Limiting factors include: Apple's App Store review process reduces distribution reach for malicious apps on non-jailbroken devices; the flaw does not appear to be remotely triggerable without app execution; and jailbroken or enterprise-provisioned devices accepting arbitrary app installs represent the highest-risk deployment scenario. The vulnerability does not affect iOS or macOS versions beyond the stated ranges, and no specific non-default configuration is required - any device on a vulnerable OS version running the malicious app is susceptible. |
| Impact | The provided CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H, score 6.5) presents a notable inconsistency: AV:N implies a network-reachable attack surface, yet the description states 'an app may be able to cause' the condition, which strongly implies local execution context (AV:L). Security teams should verify the attack vector with Apple's engineering advisory before treating this as remotely triggerable. The I:N metric also understates the risk given that kernel memory corruption inherently carries integrity implications; this appears to reflect the primary observed impact (availability/crash) rather than the full theoretical impact. EPSS at 0.15% (5th percentile) suggests low real-world exploitation activity, and there is no CISA KEV listing. Taken together, this vulnerability is a meaningful patch priority given the ubiquity of Apple devices - even a mid-sized municipal IT team in zabrze should treat this as a standard-cycle patch rather than an emergency response - but the absence of KEV status and low EPSS reduce urgency relative to actively exploited Apple kernel flaws. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker distributes a malicious application that, when executed by the user on an unpatched iOS, iPadOS, or macOS device, triggers an improper memory buffer operation in a kernel-level routine, resulting in kernel memory corruption or a system crash (kernel panic). Because no public proof-of-concept has been identified, exploitation likely requires meaningful reverse engineering of the affected kernel subsystem. User interaction is required in the form of launching the malicious application. |
Get an e-mail when this CVE is exploited, patched or re-scored. Free account.
Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Aug 18, 2026
Kernel memory corruption in Apple iOS, iPadOS, and macOS Tahoe allows a malicious app to cause unexpected system termination or corrupt kernel memory through improper memory buffer handling. Affected versions are iOS and iPadOS prior to 26.6.1 and macOS Tahoe prior to 26.6.2, with Apple having released patches via security advisories at support.apple.com. No public exploit code has been identified and EPSS stands at 0.15% (5th percentile), indicating low observed exploitation probability at time of analysis.
RemediationAI
The primary fix is to update to iOS 26.6.1 or iPadOS 26.6.1 (for iPhone and iPad devices) and macOS Tahoe 26.6.2 (for Mac systems) via Settings > General > Software Update or System Settings > General > Software Update, respectively. Apple's official advisories at https://support.apple.com/en-us/148281 and https://support.apple.com/en-us/148282 should be consulted for full details. No workaround is documented that eliminates the kernel memory handling flaw; enterprise mobile device management (MDM) teams may consider restricting installation of untrusted or sideloaded applications as a partial compensating control, though this does not address the root cause and does not protect against malicious App Store apps that exploit the flaw prior to Apple's review detection. Patching remains the only confirmed remediation.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 2 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 CWE-119 (Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer), commonly manifesting as a buffer overflow or out-of-bounds memory write in kernel-level memory handling routines. The 'Buffer Overflow' tag and Apple's advisory language 'improved memory handling' confirm a memory safety defect in kernel subsystems shared across iOS, iPadOS, and macOS Tahoe. Affected products are identified via CPE as cpe:2.3:a:apple:ios_and_ipados and cpe:2.3:a:apple:macos, covering all versions of iOS/iPadOS below 26.6.1 and macOS Tahoe below 26.6.2. Because the flaw resides in kernel memory management, exploitation could affect process isolation and system stability across the entire device.
Know when Ios And Ipados gets its next vulnerability
- Watch products and get an email when something new is published
- Check this CVE against your own stack and servers
- Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources
No credit card · 7-day full trial
Severity by source
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
AV:L chosen because exploitation requires local app execution; S:C and I:H reflect kernel memory corruption affecting system-wide integrity beyond the app sandbox.
Primary rating from Vendor (apple).
CVSS VectorVendor: apple
Lifecycle Timeline
4DescriptionCVE.org
The issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in iOS 26.6.1 and iPadOS 26.6.1, macOS Tahoe 26.6.2. An app may be able to cause unexpected system termination or corrupt kernel memory.
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
A buffer overflow occurs when a program writes more data to a memory buffer than it was allocated to hold, causing the excess data to spill into adjacent memory regions.
More in Ios And Ipados
View allOut-of-bounds write in Apple's iOS, iPadOS, and macOS file-parsing code lets remote attackers achieve arbitrary code exe
Local privilege escalation in Apple operating systems allows a malicious app to gain root privileges. The vulnerability,
Integer overflow in Apple operating systems allows remote unauthenticated attackers to crash devices via maliciously cra
An out-of-bounds write (CWE-787) in Apple's operating system family - iOS/iPadOS, macOS (Sequoia, Tahoe, and Golden Gate
Memory corruption in multiple Apple operating systems allows remote attackers to trigger buffer overflows that may cause
Remote system termination in multiple Apple operating systems (iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, visionOS, watchOS) can be trigg
Remote memory corruption in the Apple operating-system kernel (shared XNU core across iOS/iPadOS 26.6, macOS Sequoia 15.
Remote code execution in Apple operating systems prior to iOS/iPadOS 26.6, macOS Sequoia 15.7.8, macOS Sonoma 14.8.8, ma
Heap-based buffer overflow in Apple iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, and visionOS allows remote attackers to cause unexpected a
We are tasked to produce a JSON object with specific fields based on a CVE. We must synthesize multiple intelligence sou
Remote code execution in Apple operating systems (iOS, iPadOS, macOS Sequoia, macOS Tahoe, tvOS, visionOS) stems from an
Kernel memory corruption in Apple's operating systems lets an app already running on a device trigger a double free (CWE
EUVD-2026-60504
GHSA-hxmq-fcwj-hhfh
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
VulDB
Exploit-DB