dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2026-28972

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-05-11
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 14.8.7 / 15.7.7 or later.
See remediation →
74/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges 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 out-of-bounds write issue was addressed with improved input validation. This issue is fixed in iOS 18.7.9 and iPadOS 18.7.9, iOS 26.5 and iPadOS 26.5, macOS Sequoia 15.7.7, macOS Sonoma 14.8.7, macOS Tahoe 26.5, tvOS 26.5, visionOS 26.5, watchOS 26.5. An app may be able to cause unexpected system termination or write kernel 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

An out-of-bounds write vulnerability in Apple operating systems (iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, visionOS, watchOS) that was addressed through improved input validation. A malicious application could exploit this to cause unexpected system termination or write to kernel memory, potentially leading to privilege escalation.

MitigationApply the available security updates: iOS 18.7.9/iOS 26.5 and iPadOS 18.7.9/iPadOS 26.5, macOS Sequoia 15.7.7/macOS Sonoma 14.8.7/macOS Tahoe 26.5, tvOS 26.5, visionOS 26.5, and watchOS 26.5.

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:< 18.7.9>= 26.0, < 26.5
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 18.7.9>= 26.0, < 26.5
macOSOperating system
Affected:>= 14.0, < 14.8.7>= 15.0, < 15.7.7>= 26.0, < 26.5
TvosOperating system
Affected:< 26.5
VisionosOperating system
Affected:< 26.5
WatchosOperating system
Affected:< 26.5

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
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
Low
Availability
Low

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:L

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 version on iPhone
    Go to Settings > General > About and note the iOS version number
    Affected if Version is less than 18.7.9, or >= 26.0 and less than 26.5
  2. Check iPadOS version on iPad
    Go to Settings > General > About and note the iPadOS version number
    Affected if Version is less than 18.7.9, or >= 26.0 and less than 26.5
  3. Check macOS version on Mac
    Click Apple menu > About This Mac and note the macOS version number
    Affected if Version is >= 14.0 and less than 14.8.7, or >= 15.0 and less than 15.7.7, or >= 26.0 and less than 26.5
  4. Check tvOS version on Apple TV
    Go to Settings > General > About and note the tvOS version number
    Affected if Version is less than 26.5
  5. Check visionOS version on Apple Vision Pro
    Go to Settings > General > About and note the visionOS version number
    Affected if Version is less than 26.5
  6. Check watchOS version on Apple Watch
    On iPhone, open Watch app > My Watch > General > About and note the watchOS version number
    Affected if Version is less than 26.5

Your device is affected if the installed OS version falls within any of the vulnerable ranges: below 18.7.9 (for iOS/iPadOS 18.x), between 26.0-26.4, or below the patched version for tvOS/visionOS/watchOS.

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 14.8.7 / 15.7.7 / 18.7.9 or later
Fixed in 14.8.715.7.718.7.9
Interim mitigation

Apply the available security updates: iOS 18.7.9/iOS 26.5 and iPadOS 18.7.9/iPadOS 26.5, macOS Sequoia 15.7.7/macOS Sonoma 14.8.7/macOS Tahoe 26.5, tvOS 26.5, visionOS 26.5, and watchOS 26.5.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 18.7.9/iPadOS 18.7.9 or iOS 26.5/iPadOS 26.5; macOS Sonoma 14.8.7 or macOS Sequoia 15.7.7 or macOS Tahoe 26.5; tvOS 26.5; visionOS 26.5; watchOS 26.5

  1. Check current device version in Settings > General > About (iOS/iPadOS) or System Settings > General > About (macOS)
  2. Ensure device is connected to Wi-Fi and has sufficient battery or is plugged into power
  3. On iOS/iPadOS: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and download/install the latest update
  4. On macOS: Go to System Settings > General > Software Update and download/install the latest update
  5. On tvOS: Go to Settings > System > Software Updates and enable "Update Software"
  6. On watchOS: On iPhone, open Watch app, go to General > Software Update
  7. On visionOS: Go to Settings > General > Software Update
  8. After update completes, verify the version matches the fixed release (18.7.9, 26.5, 14.8.7, 15.7.7, or 26.5 depending on your device)
Caveat Standard OS update risks apply - ensure backup before updating; some legacy apps may be incompatible with newer OS versions

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

Fix this in Ipados Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
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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-2026-28972 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