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VulnerabilityPublished Updated

CVE-2022-26766: Apple watchOS · A malicious app may be able to bypass signature validation

Affects Apple watchOSSource CVE Database V5

0

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 5.5 Medium : upgrade to 8.6 when convenient.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 14:05 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score
5.5Medium
How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.
EPSS
2.8% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 86% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch
Available – fixed in 8.6
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N

Exploitation evidence

  1. Disclosed: evidence found.

    CVE published 26 May 2022

  2. Detectable: no evidence on record.

    No public nuclei template indexed

  3. Weaponised: no evidence on record.

    No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB

  4. Exploited in the wild: no evidence on record.

    Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation

  5. Observed by OffSeq Mirage: no evidence on record.

    No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.

What to do

Upgrade Apple watchOS to 8.6.

Affected software

ProductAffectedFixed in
Apple watchOSAffected
  • <8.6
Fixed in
  • 8.6

AI-suggested

European organizations should ensure that all Apple devices, including watchOS, iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, and macOS systems, are updated promptly to the patched versions (watchOS 8.6, iOS 15.5, etc.) that address this vulnerability. Beyond applying patches, organizations should enforce strict device management policies using Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions to restrict installation of apps to those signed by trusted developers and vetted through official Apple channels. User education is critical to reduce the risk of social engineering attacks that might trick users into installing malicious apps requiring user interaction. Physical security controls should be enhanced to prevent unauthorized local access to devices. Additionally, monitoring and logging of app installations and device behavior can help detect anomalies indicative of exploitation attempts. For high-security environments, consider restricting the use of watchOS devices for sensitive operations or isolating them from critical networks until fully patched. Regular security audits and compliance checks should verify that all devices remain up to date and adhere to organizational security policies.

Description

A certificate parsing issue was addressed with improved checks. This issue is fixed in tvOS 15.5, iOS 15.5 and iPadOS 15.5, Security Update 2022-004 Catalina, watchOS 8.6, macOS Big Sur 11.6.6, macOS Monterey 12.4. A malicious app may be able to bypass signature validation.

References

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