dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2026-28870

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-03-25
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 26.4 or later.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Zero-click

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
An information leakage was addressed with additional validation. This issue is fixed in iOS 18.7.9 and iPadOS 18.7.9, iOS 26.4 and iPadOS 26.4, macOS Tahoe 26.4, tvOS 26.4, visionOS 26.4, watchOS 26.4. An app may be able to access sensitive user data.

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

An information leakage vulnerability in Apple platforms allowed an application to access sensitive user data without proper authorization. The fix implements additional validation checks to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive data.

MitigationUpdate affected Apple devices to iOS 18.7.9/iOS 26.4 and later, macOS Tahoe 26.4, tvOS 26.4, visionOS 26.4, or watchOS 26.4. For app developers, ensure compliance with Apple's updated validation requirements when accessing user data.

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:< 26.4
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 26.4
macOSOperating system
Affected:< 26.4
TvosOperating system
Affected:< 26.4
VisionosOperating system
Affected:< 26.4
WatchosOperating system
Affected:< 26.4

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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/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. Identify your Apple device platform
    Determine whether the device is an iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Watch, or Apple Vision Pro. This can be done via System Settings > About (on iOS/iPadOS/tvOS/watchOS/visionOS) or System Information > Overview (on macOS).
    Affected if The device runs any of the following platforms: iPadOS, iPhone OS, macOS, tvOS, visionOS, or watchOS.
  2. Check the installed OS version
    On iOS/iPadOS/tvOS/watchOS/visionOS: Settings > General > About > Software Version. On macOS: Apple menu > About This Mac > Version. Note the exact version number displayed.
    Affected if Any version is shown, as you need to compare it to the affected range.
  3. Compare version against the affected range
    Examine the OS version number obtained in the previous step. The affected range is any version less than 26.4 (for example, 26.3.x, 18.x, or earlier).
    Affected if The installed OS version is numerically less than 26.4 (for example, 18.7.8, 26.3, 17.x, etc.).

If the device runs iPadOS, iPhone OS, macOS, tvOS, visionOS, or watchOS at a version lower than 26.4, the environment is affected by this information leakage vulnerability.

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 26.4 or later
Fixed in 26.4
Interim mitigation

Update affected Apple devices to iOS 18.7.9/iOS 26.4 and later, macOS Tahoe 26.4, tvOS 26.4, visionOS 26.4, or watchOS 26.4. For app developers, ensure compliance with Apple's updated validation requirements when accessing user data.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 18.7.9 / iPadOS 18.7.9 (or iOS 26.4 / iPadOS 26.4), macOS Tahoe 26.4, tvOS 26.4, visionOS 26.4, watchOS 26.4

  1. Check current device OS version in Settings > General > About (iOS/iPadOS) or System Settings > About (macOS)
  2. Navigate to Settings > General > Software Update (iOS/iPadOS) or System Settings > Software Update (macOS)
  3. Download and install the latest security update: iOS 18.7.9 and iPadOS 18.7.9, or iOS 26.4 and iPadOS 26.4 depending on availability
  4. For macOS: install macOS Tahoe 26.4 via System Settings > Software Update
  5. For tvOS: install tvOS 26.4 via Settings > System > Software Update
  6. For watchOS: install watchOS 26.4 via the Watch app on iPhone
  7. For visionOS: install visionOS 26.4 via Settings > General > Software Update
  8. Restart the device after the update completes
Caveat Standard Apple minor version updates typically have minimal breaking changes; backup device before updating as standard precaution

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

Fix this in Ipados Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
3.0 hours of engineering $750
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,200.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-28870 — 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-2026-28870 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