dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2026-20643

MEDIUM · 5.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-03-17
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 26.3.1 or later.
See remediation →
61/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable 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 cross-origin issue in the Navigation API was addressed with improved input validation. This issue is fixed in Background Security Improvements for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS, Safari 26.4, iOS 18.7.7 and iPadOS 18.7.7, iOS 26.4 and iPadOS 26.4, macOS Tahoe 26.4, visionOS 26.4. Processing maliciously crafted web content may bypass Same Origin Policy.

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 Same Origin Policy (SOP) bypass vulnerability in Apple's Navigation API. The issue allows malicious web content to circumvent cross-origin restrictions through improper input validation in the Navigation API, potentially allowing unauthorized access to sensitive data or operations across different origins.

MitigationApply the available security updates: Safari 26.4, iOS 18.7.7/26.4, iPadOS 18.7.7/26.4, macOS Tahoe 26.4, visionOS 26.4, or later versions. Organizations should ensure all affected devices and browsers are patched to the latest versions.

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:< 26.3.1
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 26.3.1
macOSOperating system
Affected:< 26.3.1

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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:L/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 your Apple device type
    Determine if the device is running iPadOS, iPhone OS (iOS), or macOS. This vulnerability affects only Apple mobile and desktop platforms.
    Affected if Device runs iPadOS, iOS, or macOS
  2. Check installed iPadOS version
    Go to Settings > General > About on iPad. Note the version number shown.
    Affected if iPadOS version is less than 26.3.1
  3. Check installed iPhone iOS version
    Go to Settings > General > About on iPhone. Note the version number shown.
    Affected if iOS version is less than 26.3.1
  4. Check installed macOS version
    Click Apple menu > About This Mac on Mac. Note the version number shown.
    Affected if macOS version is less than 26.3.1
  5. Verify Safari or WebKit browser usage
    Confirm that Safari or any app using WebKit (Apple's browser engine) is being used to browse web content. The Navigation API is a web platform feature exposed through browsers.
    Affected if Safari or WebKit-based browser is used to access untrusted web content

A user is affected if their device runs iPadOS, iOS, or macOS with a version lower than 26.3.1 AND they use Safari or a WebKit-based browser to navigate web content, as the SOP bypass in the Navigation API requires the vulnerable browser component to be present.

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 26.3.1 or later
Fixed in 26.3.1
Interim mitigation

Apply the available security updates: Safari 26.4, iOS 18.7.7/26.4, iPadOS 18.7.7/26.4, macOS Tahoe 26.4, visionOS 26.4, or later versions. Organizations should ensure all affected devices and browsers are patched to the latest versions.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 26.4 / iPadOS 26.4 / macOS Tahoe 26.4 / visionOS 26.4 (or iOS 18.7.7 / iPadOS 18.7.7 for older compatible versions)

  1. 1. Identify the Apple device type (iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Vision Pro)
  2. 2. For iPhone or iPad: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install the available update
  3. 3. For Mac: Go to System Settings > General > Software Update and install the available update
  4. 4. For Vision Pro: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install the available update
  5. 5. After update completes, verify the version by checking Settings > General > About

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

Fix this in Ipados Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $910
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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-2026-20643 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