dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2026-20626

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-02-11
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 15.7.4 / 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
This issue was addressed with improved checks. This issue is fixed in iOS 26.3 and iPadOS 26.3, macOS Sequoia 15.7.4, macOS Tahoe 26.3, visionOS 26.3. A malicious 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 · high confidence

A local privilege escalation vulnerability in Apple operating systems allows a maliciously crafted application to bypass security checks and gain root privileges. The issue was remediated through improved validation checks in the affected OS components.

MitigationDeploy the vendor-supplied OS updates (iOS 26.3/iPadOS 26.3, macOS Sequoia 15.7.4/macOS Tahoe 26.3, visionOS 26.3) to all affected devices. Prioritize endpoint patching through MDM or software distribution tools.

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:>= 15.0, < 15.7.4>= 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. Identify the Apple operating system
    Determine whether the device runs iOS, iPadOS, macOS, or visionOS. On iOS/iPadOS: go to Settings > General > About. On macOS: click the Apple menu > About This Mac. On visionOS: go to Settings > About.
    Affected if The device runs any of the affected Apple operating systems.
  2. Check iOS or iPadOS version
    On the device, go to Settings > General > About > Version. Note the version number displayed (for example, 26.2 or 26.3).
    Affected if The installed version is less than 26.3 (for example, 26.2, 26.1, 25.x, etc.).
  3. Check macOS version
    Click the Apple menu > About This Mac. Note the version number under the macOS name (for example, 15.7.3, 15.7.4, 26.2, or 26.3).
    Affected if The installed version is 15.0 or higher but below 15.7.4, OR 26.0 or higher but below 26.3.
  4. Check visionOS version
    On the device, go to Settings > About. Note the version number displayed.
    Affected if The installed version is less than 26.3.

The environment is affected if the device runs iOS, iPadOS, visionOS below 26.3, or macOS versions 15.0 to 15.7.3 or 26.0 to 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 15.7.4 / 26.3 or later
Fixed in 15.7.426.3
Interim mitigation

Deploy the vendor-supplied OS updates (iOS 26.3/iPadOS 26.3, macOS Sequoia 15.7.4/macOS Tahoe 26.3, visionOS 26.3) to all affected devices. Prioritize endpoint patching through MDM or software distribution tools.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 26.3, iPadOS 26.3, macOS 15.7.4 (Sequoia), visionOS 26.3

  1. For iPhone: Upgrade to iOS 26.3 or later via Settings > General > Software Update
  2. For iPad: Upgrade to iPadOS 26.3 or later via Settings > General > Software Update
  3. For Mac: Upgrade to macOS Sequoia 15.7.4 or later via System Settings > General > Software Update
  4. For Vision Pro: Upgrade to visionOS 26.3 or later via Settings > General > Software Update

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

Fix this in Ipados Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,780
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,848.

Scan for this in your stack

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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-2026-20626 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