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IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2026-28995

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-05-11
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 18.7.9 / 26.5 or later.
See remediation →
90/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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
A logic issue was addressed with improved restrictions. This issue is fixed in iOS 18.7.9 and iPadOS 18.7.9, iOS 26.5 and iPadOS 26.5, macOS Tahoe 26.5, tvOS 26.5, visionOS 26.5, watchOS 26.5. A malicious 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 confidence

A logic flaw in Apple's sandboxing mechanism in multiple operating systems (iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, visionOS, watchOS) allows a maliciously crafted application to escape its sandbox restrictions and potentially access unauthorized system resources.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied security updates: iOS 18.7.9, iOS 26.5/iPadOS 26.5, macOS Tahoe 26.5, tvOS 26.5, visionOS 26.5, and watchOS 26.5 to all affected devices.

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:>= 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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Determine iOS or iPadOS version
    On the device, go to Settings > General > About and note the version number (e.g., 18.7.8, 26.4)
    Affected if Version is less than 18.7.9 OR is 26.0 to 26.4 inclusive
  2. Determine macOS version
    On Mac, go to System Settings > About (or System Preferences > About on older macOS) and note the version number (e.g., 26.4)
    Affected if Version is 26.0 to 26.4 inclusive (older macOS versions are not listed as affected for this CVE)
  3. Determine tvOS, visionOS, or watchOS version
    On the device, go to Settings > General > About and note the version number
    Affected if Version is less than 26.5 (any version below 26.5)
  4. Verify affected OS platform
    Confirm which Apple platform the device runs (iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, visionOS, or watchOS) from the About screen
    Affected if The device runs any of the affected platforms listed in the CVE

You are affected if your device runs any of the listed Apple operating systems AND its version falls within the vulnerable ranges: iOS/iPadOS below 18.7.9 or between 26.0-26.4, macOS between 26.0-26.4, or tvOS/visionOS/watchOS below 26.5.

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 18.7.9 / 26.5 or later
Fixed in 18.7.926.5
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-supplied security updates: iOS 18.7.9, iOS 26.5/iPadOS 26.5, macOS Tahoe 26.5, tvOS 26.5, visionOS 26.5, and watchOS 26.5 to all affected devices.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 18.7.9/iPadOS 18.7.9 (for 18.x branch) or iOS 26.5/iPadOS 26.5 (for 26.x branch); macOS Tahoe 26.5; tvOS 26.5; visionOS 26.5; watchOS 26.5

  1. 1. Identify the current version of the affected Apple device (iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Vision Pro, or Apple Watch)
  2. 2. For iPhone/iPad: Go to Settings > General > Software Update to check for available updates
  3. 3. For macOS: Go to System Settings > General > Software Update
  4. 4. For tvOS: Go to Settings > System > Software Updates
  5. 5. For watchOS: Open the Watch app on iPhone, go to General > Software Update
  6. 6. For visionOS: Go to Settings > General > Software Update
  7. 7. If on iOS/iPadOS 18.x branch, upgrade to iOS/iPadOS 18.7.9 or later
  8. 8. If on iOS/iPadOS 26.x branch, upgrade to iOS/iPadOS 26.5 or later
Caveat Standard iOS/macOS update considerations apply - review release notes for any behavior changes; backup device before updating

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

Fix this in Ipados Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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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-2026-28995 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