dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2026-20615

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-02-11
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 14.8.4 / 26.3 or later.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
A path handling issue was addressed with improved validation. This issue is fixed in iOS 26.3 and iPadOS 26.3, macOS Sonoma 14.8.4, macOS Tahoe 26.3, visionOS 26.3. An app may be able to gain root privileges.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

A path handling vulnerability in multiple Apple operating systems allows a malicious application to escalate privileges to root through improper input validation. The issue involves path traversal or manipulation that bypasses security boundaries.

MitigationApply the available vendor patches (iOS 26.3, iPadOS 26.3, macOS Sonoma 14.8.4, macOS Tahoe 26.3, visionOS 26.3) to implement improved path validation.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
IpadosOperating system
Affected:< 26.3
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 26.3
macOSOperating system
Affected:>= 14.0, < 14.8.4>= 26.0, < 26.3
VisionosOperating system
Affected:< 26.3

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check iOS version on iPhone
    Go to Settings > General > About and note the Version number (e.g., 26.2.x)
    Affected if Version is less than 26.3 (for example, 26.2.1, 26.2, etc.)
  2. Check iPadOS version on iPad
    Go to Settings > General > About and note the Version number
    Affected if Version is less than 26.3
  3. Check macOS version
    Click Apple menu > About This Mac and note the version number (e.g., 14.8.3, 26.2)
    Affected if Version is 14.0 through 14.8.3 OR version is 26.0 through 26.2
  4. Check visionOS version
    Go to Settings > About and note the Version number
    Affected if Version is less than 26.3

Your device is affected if the installed operating system version falls within any of the listed vulnerable ranges: iOS/iPadOS/visionOS below 26.3, or macOS between 14.0-14.8.3 or 26.0-26.2.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 14.8.4 / 26.3 or later
Fixed in 14.8.426.3
Interim mitigation

Apply the available vendor patches (iOS 26.3, iPadOS 26.3, macOS Sonoma 14.8.4, macOS Tahoe 26.3, visionOS 26.3) to implement improved path validation.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 26.3, iPadOS 26.3, macOS Sonoma 14.8.4, macOS Tahoe 26.3, visionOS 26.3

  1. Check current device OS version in Settings > General > About (iOS/iPadOS) or System Settings > General > About (macOS/visionOS)
  2. Back up important data using iCloud Backup (iOS/iPadOS) or Time Machine (macOS)
  3. For iOS/iPadOS: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install iOS/iPadOS 26.3
  4. For macOS: Go to System Settings > General > Software Update and install macOS Sonoma 14.8.4 or macOS Tahoe 26.3 as applicable
  5. For visionOS: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install visionOS 26.3
  6. Restart the device after the update completes
Caveat Standard OS update risks apply - ensure backup before updating; some apps may require updates for compatibility with new OS version

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Ipados Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA6.0 h
30.0 hours of engineering $5,120
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $8,192.

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-20615 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data