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IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2026-43668

HIGH · 7.5 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 →
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 use after free issue was addressed with improved memory management. 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. A remote attacker may be able to cause unexpected system termination or corrupt 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

A use-after-free vulnerability in Apple operating systems (iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, visionOS, watchOS) involving improper memory management allows a remote attacker to cause unexpected system termination or corrupt kernel memory. The vulnerability exists in kernel-level memory handling and is patched in the specified versions.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied updates: iOS 18.7.9/iPadOS 18.7.9, iOS 26.5/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. For systems that cannot be immediately updated, minimize network exposure and disable unused network-facing services to reduce attack surface.

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
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. Identify device platform and OS version
    On iOS/iPadOS: Settings > General > About > Version. On macOS: System Settings > About or run 'sw_vers' in Terminal. On tvOS/watchOS/visionOS: Settings > General > About > Version.
    Affected if Version is any Apple OS listed in affected products (iOS, iPadOS, iPhone OS, macOS, tvOS, visionOS, watchOS)
  2. Check iOS/iPadOS version against affected ranges
    If running iOS or iPadOS, compare your version number to: < 18.7.9, or >= 26.0 and < 26.5
    Affected if iOS or iPadOS version is less than 18.7.9, or is 26.0 through 26.4.x
  3. Check macOS version against affected ranges
    If running macOS, run 'sw_vers -productVersion' or check System Settings > About. Compare to: >= 14.0 and < 14.8.7, or >= 15.0 and < 15.7.7, or >= 26.0 and < 26.5
    Affected if macOS version is 14.0 through 14.8.6, or 15.0 through 15.7.6, or 26.0 through 26.4.x
  4. Check tvOS/watchOS/visionOS version against affected ranges
    If running tvOS, visionOS, or watchOS, check Settings > General > About > Version. Compare to: < 26.5
    Affected if tvOS, visionOS, or watchOS version is earlier than 26.5 (any version below 26.5)

The device is affected if running any Apple OS version that falls within the specific vulnerable ranges: iOS/iPadOS < 18.7.9 or 26.0-26.4.x, macOS 14.x < 14.8.7 or 15.x < 15.7.7 or 26.0-26.4.x, or tvOS/visionOS/watchOS < 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 14.8.7 / 15.7.7 / 18.7.9 or later
Fixed in 14.8.715.7.718.7.9
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-supplied updates: iOS 18.7.9/iPadOS 18.7.9, iOS 26.5/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. For systems that cannot be immediately updated, minimize network exposure and disable unused network-facing services to reduce attack surface.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 18.7.9/26.5, iPadOS 18.7.9/26.5, macOS 14.8.7/15.7.7/26.5, tvOS 26.5, visionOS 26.5, or watchOS 26.5 (depending on product and current version)

  1. 1. Identify the affected Apple device and current OS version (iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, visionOS, or watchOS)
  2. 2. For iPhone/iPad: Upgrade to iOS 18.7.9 or iPadOS 18.7.9 (if on iOS 18.x); OR upgrade to iOS 26.5/iPadOS 26.5 (if on iOS 26.x)
  3. 3. For Mac: Upgrade to macOS Sonoma 14.8.7, macOS Sequoia 15.7.7, or macOS Tahoe 26.5 depending on your current major version
  4. 4. For Apple TV: Upgrade to tvOS 26.5
  5. 5. For Apple Vision Pro: Upgrade to visionOS 26.5
  6. 6. For Apple Watch: Upgrade to watchOS 26.5
  7. 7. Perform the update via Settings > General > Software Update on iOS/iPadOS/watchOS/visionOS, System Settings or App Store on macOS, or Settings > General > Software Update on tvOS
Caveat Standard OS update - backup recommended before applying

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
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,500
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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-2026-43668 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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