CVE-2026-20654
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 · uneditedThe issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in iOS 26.3 and iPadOS 26.3, macOS Tahoe 26.3, tvOS 26.3, visionOS 26.3, watchOS 26.3. An app may be able to cause unexpected system termination.
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 confidenceA memory handling vulnerability in Apple operating systems allows a malicious application to cause unexpected system termination (denial of service). The issue was addressed with improved memory handling in iOS 26.3, iPadOS 26.3, macOS Tahoe 26.3, tvOS 26.3, visionOS 26.3, and watchOS 26.3.
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< 26.3< 26.3< 26.3< 26.3< 26.3< 26.3CVSS 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
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check iOS version on iPhoneNavigate to Settings > General > About on the iPhone and note the version numberAffected if The installed iOS version is earlier than 26.3
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Check iPadOS version on iPadNavigate to Settings > General > About on the iPad and note the version numberAffected if The installed iPadOS version is earlier than 26.3
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Check macOS version on MacClick the Apple menu > About This Mac and note the version numberAffected if The installed macOS version is earlier than 26.3
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Check tvOS version on Apple TVNavigate to Settings > General > About on Apple TV and note the version numberAffected if The installed tvOS version is earlier than 26.3
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Check visionOS version on Vision ProNavigate to Settings > General > About on the Vision Pro device and note the version numberAffected if The installed visionOS version is earlier than 26.3
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Check watchOS version on Apple WatchOpen the Watch app on iPhone, go to General > About, or on Watch go to Settings > General > AboutAffected if The installed watchOS version is earlier than 26.3
If any Apple device runs an OS version earlier than 26.3, it is affected by this memory handling vulnerability
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scoped26.3
Apply the available vendor patches by updating all affected Apple devices to iOS 26.3/iPadOS 26.3, macOS Tahoe 26.3, tvOS 26.3, visionOS 26.3, or watchOS 26.3 respectively.
iOS 26.3, iPadOS 26.3, macOS Tahoe 26.3, tvOS 26.3, visionOS 26.3, or watchOS 26.3 (depending on device)
- Identify the Apple device type (iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Vision Pro, or Apple Watch)
- Determine the current installed version of the operating system
- For iPhone: Upgrade to iOS 26.3 or later
- For iPad: Upgrade to iPadOS 26.3 or later
- For Mac: Upgrade to macOS Tahoe 26.3 or later
- For Apple TV: Upgrade to tvOS 26.3 or later
- For Apple Vision Pro: Upgrade to visionOS 26.3 or later
- For Apple Watch: Upgrade to watchOS 26.3 or later
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-20654 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-20654 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- 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
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