dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2026-20634

MEDIUM · 5.5 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 →
58/100
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
The issue was addressed with improved memory handling. 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. Processing a maliciously crafted image may result in disclosure of process memory.

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

This is a memory handling vulnerability in Apple's core media processing components. When a device processes a maliciously crafted image file, it can lead to disclosure of process memory contents. The vulnerability is triggered simply by the device processing the crafted image, making it easily exploitable.

MitigationApply the available Apple updates: iOS 18.7.5/iPadOS 18.7.5 or iOS 26.3/iPadOS 26.3, macOS Sequoia 15.7.4/Sonoma 14.8.4/Tahoe 26.3, tvOS 26.3, visionOS 26.3, or watchOS 26.3 depending on the affected device.

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
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/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. Check iOS or iPadOS version
    Go to Settings > General > About on the device and note the version number (for example, 18.4 or 26.1)
    Affected if The version is below 18.7.5, or falls between 26.0 and 26.3 (including 26.0, 26.1, or 26.2)
  2. Check macOS version
    Click the Apple menu > About This Mac and note the version number (for example, 14.5 or 15.4)
    Affected if The version is 14.0 or higher but below 14.8.4, OR 15.0 or higher but below 15.7.4, OR 26.0 or higher but below 26.3
  3. Check tvOS, visionOS, or watchOS version
    On Apple TV, go to Settings > General > About > Version. On Apple Watch, open the Watch app on iPhone and go to General > About. On Apple Vision Pro, go to Settings > General > About.
    Affected if The version is below 26.3 (for example, 26.0, 26.1, or 26.2)

If your device runs any of the listed Apple operating systems and its version falls within the vulnerable ranges, your device is affected by this memory disclosure vulnerability when processing image files.

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 available Apple updates: iOS 18.7.5/iPadOS 18.7.5 or iOS 26.3/iPadOS 26.3, macOS Sequoia 15.7.4/Sonoma 14.8.4/Tahoe 26.3, tvOS 26.3, visionOS 26.3, or watchOS 26.3 depending on the affected device.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 18.7.5/iPadOS 18.7.5 or iOS 26.3/iPadOS 26.3 for mobile devices; macOS Sonoma 14.8.4, macOS Sequoia 15.7.4, or macOS Tahoe 26.3 for Macs; tvOS 26.3, visionOS 26.3, or watchOS 26.3 for respective devices

  1. Identify the Apple device type (iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Vision Pro, or Apple Watch)
  2. Determine the current installed OS version from Settings > General > About (iOS/iPadOS/watchOS/visionOS) or System Settings > General > About (macOS)
  3. For iPhone/iPad: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install the available update to reach iOS 18.7.5/iPadOS 18.7.5 or iOS 26.3/iPadOS 26.3
  4. For Mac: Go to System Settings > General > Software Update and install the available update to reach macOS 14.8.4 (Sonoma), 15.7.4 (Sequoia), or 26.3 (Tahoe)
  5. For Apple TV: Go to Settings > System > Software Updates and update to tvOS 26.3
  6. For Apple Vision Pro: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and update to visionOS 26.3
  7. For Apple Watch: Go to Settings > General > Software Update on the watch or through the paired iPhone, and update to watchOS 26.3
  8. Verify the update was successful by checking Settings > General > About to confirm the installed OS version matches the target fixed version
Caveat Standard Apple OS updates typically preserve user data, but backup before updating is recommended as a precaution

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
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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-2026-20634 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