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Apple iOS EUVDEUVD-2026-77940

| CVE-2026-84523 MEDIUM
Out-of-bounds Write (CWE-787)
2026-09-14 apple GHSA-p44q-xh35-p8h9
5.5
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
    Install malicious local app
  2. Delivery
    Invoke vulnerable kernel routine
  3. Exploit
    Trigger out-of-bounds write
  4. Execution
    Corrupt adjacent kernel memory
  5. Persist
    Kernel panic or system termination
  6. Impact
    Potential escalation if write primitive is weaponized

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Bounds checking, write limits
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 ability to run a locally installed application on the target device - the CVSS vector specifies AV:L with PR:L (authenticated/local app context), so the attacker must already have code execution inside the app sandbox, typically via App Store, enterprise distribution, sideloading, or a third-party marketplace install. No user interaction beyond installing and launching the app is required (UI:N), and the attack needs no special network position or elevated system privileges. Limiting factors: this is not remotely triggerable, it does not bypass the app sandbox on its own, and the scored impact is denial of service (kernel termination) rather than confidentiality or integrity loss; the reported ability to 'write kernel memory' is a stronger primitive that the published CVSS vector does not reflect and that should be confirmed before assuming escalation potential.

Impact

The CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.5 (Medium) derives from AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - trivial to trigger technically, but requiring the attacker to already have a locally installed app on the device, with impact scored purely as availability (kernel panic / system termination). The description additionally mentions the ability to 'write kernel memory,' which hints at possible integrity implications that the assigned vector does not score; if a reliable kernel write primitive is achievable, this could be chained with a separate kernel exploit for privilege escalation, which would raise the true severity above the published 5.5. Against that: EPSS is 0.21% (11th percentile), there is no CISA KEV listing, no public POC is reported, and the attacker path is gated behind app installation and local execution, so this is not a mass-exploitation priority. Note the tension between the availability-only scoring and the stated kernel-memory-write capability - treat the latter as unverified until Apple or the researcher clarifies the primitive.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker convinces a user to install a malicious app, or distributes one through a third-party app marketplace or sideloading channel. When the app invokes the vulnerable kernel path, it triggers the out-of-bounds write, corrupting kernel memory and either crashing the device or, in a more advanced chain, providing a kernel write primitive to combine with a separate privilege-escalation exploit. No public proof-of-concept is currently documented, so this remains theoretical for most defenders.

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 15, 2026

An out-of-bounds write in Apple's operating system kernel (CWE-787) allows a locally installed app to corrupt kernel memory or force an unexpected system termination, affecting iOS/iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, visionOS, and watchOS. Apple fixed the flaw with improved bounds checking in iOS 26.7 and 27, iPadOS 26.7 and 27, macOS Sequoia 15.8, macOS Tahoe 26.7, macOS Golden Gate 27, tvOS 27, visionOS 27, and watchOS 27. Exploitation requires a local app (CVSS PR:L) with no user interaction, so real-world risk is currently low - EPSS is only 0.21% (11th percentile), the issue is not listed in CISA KEV, and no public exploit code has been identified.

RemediationAI

Apply the vendor-released fixes: update iOS and iPadOS to 26.7 or 27, macOS Sequoia to 15.8, macOS Tahoe to 26.7, macOS Golden Gate to 27, and tvOS, visionOS, and watchOS to 27, per the Apple advisories at https://support.apple.com/en-us/149034, 149035, 149036, 149037, 149038, 149041, 149042, and 149043. No workaround replaces the kernel bounds-check fix because the defect lives in shared system code. As compensating controls pending patching, restrict app installation to trusted sources (disable sideloading and third-party marketplaces where supported - trade-off: reduces user flexibility and may break enterprise distribution), enforce MDM allow-listing of applications (trade-off: administrative overhead and delayed app access), and monitor for repeated kernel panics or unexpected device restarts that could indicate exploitation attempts. None of these block a malicious app already installed from triggering the bug.

Affected VersionsENISA

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

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 CWE-787 (Out-of-bounds Write), a memory-safety defect in which a kernel-space buffer is written past its allocated bounds because the bounds check was insufficient. Apple states the issue was addressed with improved bounds checking, implying a kernel component (driver, IPC handler, or syscall-adjacent subsystem) accepted attacker-influenced input without validating the resulting write offset or length. Because the write occurs in kernel memory, the consequences go beyond the attacking process: the corruption is system-wide, and the CPE data confirms the flaw spans the shared Apple kernel codebase reused across ios_and_ipados, macos, tvos, visionos, and watchos. The attacking surface is a locally running, sandboxed app, which is why the CVSS vector is AV:L/PR:L rather than network-reachable.

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  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

Vendor (apple) PRIMARY 5.5 MEDIUM
AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
vuln.today AI 5.5 MEDIUM

Local app context drives AV:L and PR:L; low complexity and no user interaction, with kernel panic as the confirmed availability impact only.

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

Primary rating from Vendor (apple).

CVSS VectorVendor: apple

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

Lifecycle Timeline

4
CVSS changed
Sep 15, 2026 - 16:22 NVD
5.5 (MEDIUM)
Patch available
Sep 14, 2026 - 22:19 EUVD
CVE Published
Sep 14, 2026 - 20:51 cve.org
UNKNOWN (no severity yet)
CVE Published
Sep 14, 2026 - 20:51 cve.org
MEDIUM 5.5

DescriptionCVE.org

An out-of-bounds write issue was addressed with improved bounds checking. 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 may be able to cause unexpected system termination or write kernel memory.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.2%
Top 89% exploitable
Prevalence
Ubiquitous
shipped by default on all iPhones, iPads, Macs, Watches, TVs
Data Quality
5 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
None
System Exposure· derived
Small
Automatable
No
Human Impact· derived
High
Technical Impact
Partial

Priority Score

28
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +28
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

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.

Memory corruption occurs when a program writes data beyond the boundaries of allocated memory regions or accesses memory in unintended ways, violating the integrity of the process's address space.

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