dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2026-20628

HIGH · 7.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-02-11
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 14.8.4 / 15.7.4 or later.
See remediation →
74/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
No privileges

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 permissions issue was addressed with additional restrictions. This issue is fixed in iOS 18.7.5 and iPadOS 18.7.5, iOS 26.3 and iPadOS 26.3, macOS Sequoia 15.7.4, macOS Sonoma 14.8.4, macOS Tahoe 26.3, tvOS 26.3, visionOS 26.3, watchOS 26.3. An app may be able to break out of its sandbox.

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 sandbox escape vulnerability in multiple Apple operating systems where an application could break out of its sandbox due to insufficient permission restrictions. This represents a privilege escalation issue allowing a malicious app to access resources outside its intended security boundary.

MitigationApply the relevant security update (iOS 18.7.5/26.3, iPadOS 18.7.5/26.3, macOS Sequoia 15.7.4, macOS Sonoma 14.8.4, macOS Tahoe 26.3, tvOS 26.3, visionOS 26.3, or watchOS 26.3) to all affected devices to restore proper sandbox restrictions.

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:< 18.7.5>= 26.0, < 26.3
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 18.7.5>= 26.0, < 26.3
macOSOperating system
Affected:>= 14.0, < 14.8.4>= 15.0, < 15.7.4>= 26.0, < 26.3
TvosOperating system
Affected:< 26.3
VisionosOperating system
Affected:< 26.3
WatchosOperating 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
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
None

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

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
    On iOS/iPadOS: Settings > General > About. On macOS: Apple menu > About This Mac. On tvOS/watchOS/visionOS: Settings > General > About.
    Affected if The device runs any of the affected OS types: iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, visionOS, or watchOS.
  2. Check the installed iOS or iPadOS version
    On the device, go to Settings > General > About and note the Version number.
    Affected if The version is less than 18.7.5, or is 26.0, 26.1, or 26.2.
  3. Check the installed macOS version
    Open Terminal and run: sw_vers -productVersion
    Affected if The version is 14.0 through 14.8.3, 15.0 through 15.7.3, or 26.0 through 26.2.
  4. Check the installed tvOS, visionOS, or watchOS version
    On the device, go to Settings > General > About and note the Version number.
    Affected if The version is below 26.3.

The device is affected if it runs any of the listed Apple operating systems with a version number that falls within the vulnerable ranges: iOS/iPadOS < 18.7.5 or 26.0-26.2; macOS 14.x, 15.x, or 26.x in the ranges specified; or tvOS/visionOS/watchOS < 26.3.

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 / 15.7.4 / 18.7.5 or later
Fixed in 14.8.415.7.418.7.5
Interim mitigation

Apply the relevant security update (iOS 18.7.5/26.3, iPadOS 18.7.5/26.3, macOS Sequoia 15.7.4, macOS Sonoma 14.8.4, macOS Tahoe 26.3, tvOS 26.3, visionOS 26.3, or watchOS 26.3) to all affected devices to restore proper sandbox restrictions.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS/iPadOS 18.7.5 or 26.3 | macOS 14.8.4/15.7.4/26.3 | tvOS 26.3 | visionOS 26.3 | watchOS 26.3 (depending on device model)

  1. Identify the Apple device type (iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Vision Pro, or Apple Watch) running the affected OS version
  2. For iPhone/iPad: Upgrade to iOS/iPadOS 18.7.5 or iOS/iPadOS 26.3 depending on your device's compatibility
  3. For Mac: Upgrade to macOS Sonoma 14.8.4, macOS Sequoia 15.7.4, or macOS Tahoe 26.3 depending on your Mac model
  4. For Apple TV: Upgrade to tvOS 26.3
  5. For Apple Vision Pro: Upgrade to visionOS 26.3
  6. For Apple Watch: Upgrade to watchOS 26.3
  7. Use Settings > General > Software Update (iOS/iPadOS/watchOS/tvOS/visionOS) or System Settings > Software Update (macOS) to download and install the update
  8. Restart the device after the update is installed
Caveat Standard Apple minor/patch updates typically have no breaking changes; major version upgrades (e.g., to macOS 26) may have app compatibility considerations

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
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,120.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-20628 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2026-20628 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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