CVE-2026-20688
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 · uneditedA path handling issue was addressed with improved validation. This issue is fixed in iOS 26.4 and iPadOS 26.4, macOS Sequoia 15.7.5, macOS Sonoma 14.8.5, macOS Tahoe 26.4, visionOS 26.4. 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 confidenceA sandbox escape vulnerability in Apple's core operating systems caused by improper path handling and validation. The flaw allows a malicious application to break out of its sandbox containment by exploiting path traversal or validation weaknesses, potentially gaining unauthorized access to system resources.
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< 26.4< 26.4>= 14.0, < 14.8.5>= 15.0, < 15.7.5>= 26.0, < 26.4< 26.4CVSS 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
- None
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check iOS versionOn the device, go to Settings > General > About and note the version number (e.g., 26.3.1)Affected if The version is less than 26.4
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Check iPadOS versionOn the iPad, go to Settings > General > About and note the version numberAffected if The version is less than 26.4
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Check macOS versionClick the Apple menu > About This Mac and note the version number (e.g., 15.7, 14.8.4, 26.3)Affected if The version is 14.0 to 14.8.4, 15.0 to 15.7.4, or 26.0 to 26.3
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Check visionOS versionOn the Vision Pro, go to Settings > General > About and note the version numberAffected if The version is less than 26.4
If the installed OS version is below 26.4 for iOS/iPadOS/visionOS, or below 14.8.5/15.7.5/26.4 for macOS, the environment is vulnerable to this sandbox escape flaw.
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 · scoped14.8.515.7.526.4
Apply the available security updates: iOS 26.4, iPadOS 26.4, macOS Sequoia 15.7.5, macOS Sonoma 14.8.5, macOS Tahoe 26.4, and visionOS 26.4. Prioritize deployment given the critical CVSS 9.3 severity and sandbox escape capability.
iOS 26.4, iPadOS 26.4, macOS Sonoma 14.8.5, macOS Sequoia 15.7.5, macOS Tahoe 26.4, or visionOS 26.4 depending on device type
- Back up your device data before performing any system update
- For iPhone and iPad: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install iOS 26.4 or iPadOS 26.4
- For Mac: Go to System Settings > General > Software Update and install the appropriate macOS update (macOS Sonoma 14.8.5, macOS Sequoia 15.7.5, or macOS Tahoe 26.4 depending on your current version)
- For Vision Pro: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install visionOS 26.4
- Restart the device after the update completes
- Verify the update was successfully installed by checking the software version in Settings
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-20688 — 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-2026-20688 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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