CVE-2026-28969 is a use-after-free vulnerability (CWE-416) in Apple operating systems that could allow an unprivileged, remote attacker to cause unexpected system termination. The flaw was mitigated by improved memory management techniques. The vulnerability affects multiple Apple OS platforms and was fixed in specific versions of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, visionOS, and watchOS as listed. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 7.5, reflecting network attack vector, low attack complexity, no privileges required, no user interaction, unchanged scope, high confidentiality impact, and no integrity or availability impact. No known exploits are reported in the wild at this time.

An attacker controlling an app could trigger a use-after-free condition leading to unexpected system termination (crash). The confidentiality impact is rated high, indicating potential information disclosure, but integrity and availability impacts are not present. The vulnerability does not require privileges or user interaction to exploit, increasing its risk profile. No active exploitation is currently known.

This vulnerability is fixed in 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. Users and administrators should apply these official updates to remediate the issue. No additional mitigation steps are indicated by the vendor advisory.