dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2026-43661

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-05-11
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 26.5 or later.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
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
A buffer overflow issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in iOS 18.7.10 and iPadOS 18.7.10, iOS 26.5 and iPadOS 26.5, macOS Sequoia 15.7.8, macOS Sonoma 14.8.8, macOS Tahoe 26.5, tvOS 26.5, watchOS 26.5. Processing a maliciously crafted image may corrupt process 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

Buffer overflow vulnerability in Apple's image processing components allows memory corruption when processing maliciously crafted images. The flaw exists in iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS versions prior to the specified patches. Successful exploitation could allow arbitrary code execution or denial of service within the context of the vulnerable process.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied updates for all affected Apple operating systems (iOS 26.5, iPadOS 26.5, macOS Sequoia 15.7.8, macOS Sonoma 14.8.8, macOS Tahoe 26.5, tvOS 26.5, watchOS 26.5). Until patched, avoid opening images from untrusted sources.

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:< 26.5
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 26.5
macOSOperating system
Affected:>= 26.0, < 26.5
TvosOperating 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
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/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 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 Version number (e.g., 26.4)
    Affected if Version is less than 26.5
  2. Check iPadOS version on iPad
    Go to Settings > General > About and note the Version number
    Affected if Version is less than 26.5
  3. Check macOS version
    Click Apple menu > About This Mac > General tab and note the version number (e.g., 26.4 or 26.0)
    Affected if Version is 26.0 or higher but lower than 26.5
  4. Check tvOS version
    Go to Settings > General > About > Version on Apple TV
    Affected if Version is less than 26.5
  5. Check watchOS version
    Open the Watch app on iPhone, go to My Watch > General > About and note the watchOS version
    Affected if Version is less than 26.5

If the installed OS version is any version before 26.5 (or for macOS, between 26.0 and 26.4), the device is affected by this vulnerability and should be updated.

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 26.5 or later
Fixed in 26.5
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-supplied updates for all affected Apple operating systems (iOS 26.5, iPadOS 26.5, macOS Sequoia 15.7.8, macOS Sonoma 14.8.8, macOS Tahoe 26.5, tvOS 26.5, watchOS 26.5). Until patched, avoid opening images from untrusted sources.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 26.5, iPadOS 26.5, macOS Tahoe 26.5, tvOS 26.5, watchOS 26.5

  1. Identify the affected Apple device (iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, or Apple Watch)
  2. Backup all important data on the device before updating
  3. Check the current installed version of the operating system
  4. For iPhone: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install iOS 26.5
  5. For iPad: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install iPadOS 26.5
  6. For Mac: Go to System Settings > General > Software Update and install macOS Tahoe 26.5
  7. For Apple TV: Go to Settings > System > Software Updates and install tvOS 26.5
  8. For Apple Watch: On the iPhone, open the Watch app, go to My Watch > General > Software Update and install watchOS 26.5

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

Fix this in Ipados Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
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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-2026-43661 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