CVE-2026-28985
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 null pointer dereference was addressed with improved input validation. This issue is fixed in iOS 26.5 and iPadOS 26.5, macOS Tahoe 26.5, tvOS 26.5. An attacker on the local network may be able to cause a denial-of-service.
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 null pointer dereference vulnerability in Apple iOS 26.5, iPadOS 26.5, macOS Tahoe 26.5, and tvOS 26.5 allows an attacker on the local network to cause a denial-of-service. The vulnerability was addressed through improved input validation.
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< 26.5< 26.5>= 26.0, < 26.5< 26.5CVSS 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
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/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 iPhoneGo to Settings > General > About on the iPhone and look at the Version fieldAffected if Version shows a number less than 26.5 (for example, 26.4, 26.0, or any earlier version)
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Check iPadOS version on iPadGo to Settings > General > About on the iPad and look at the Version fieldAffected if Version shows a number less than 26.5 (for example, 26.4, 26.0, or any earlier version)
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Check macOS version on MacClick the Apple menu > About This Mac and look at the version number displayedAffected if Version shows 26.0, 26.1, 26.2, 26.3, or 26.4 (any version from 26.0 up to but not including 26.5)
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Check tvOS version on Apple TVGo to Settings > General > About > Version on the Apple TVAffected if Version shows a number less than 26.5 (for example, 26.4, 26.0, or any earlier version)
You are affected if any device runs iOS, iPadOS, macOS 26.0-26.4, or tvOS version 26.4 or earlier, and the device is accessible on a local network where a malicious actor could send specially crafted network requests.
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 · scoped26.5
Apply the vendor-supplied updates (iOS 26.5, iPadOS 26.5, macOS Tahoe 26.5, tvOS 26.5 or later) to all affected devices to remediate the vulnerability.
iOS 26.5, iPadOS 26.5, macOS Tahoe 26.5, tvOS 26.5
- Open Settings app on iPhone/iPad, or System Settings on Mac/Apple TV
- Navigate to General > Software Update (or Software Update)
- Ensure your device is connected to Wi-Fi and plugged into power
- Check for available updates and download iOS 26.5 / iPadOS 26.5 / macOS 26.5 / tvOS 26.5
- Install the update and restart the device if prompted
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-28985 — 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-2026-28985 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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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.
- 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