VulnerabilityPublished 25 Mar 2026Updated 2 Apr 2026

CVE-2026-28856: Apple iOS and iPadOS · Improper Access Control

Affects Apple iOS and iPadOSSource CVE Database V5

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Not known to be exploited · CVSS 4.6 Medium : upgrade to 26.4 when convenient.

Data as of 30 Oct 2026, 11:52 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

4.6Medium

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 21% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 26.4

CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

Attack Vector: Physical
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: None
Availability: None

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Physical: The attack requires the attacker to physically touch or manipulate the vulnerable component. Physical interaction may be brief or persistent.
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: None: The attacker is unauthorized prior to attack, and therefore does not require any access to settings or files to carry out an attack.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: High: There is total loss of confidentiality, resulting in all resources within the impacted component being divulged to the attacker. Alternatively, access to only some restricted information is obtained, but the disclosed information presents a direct, serious impact.
Integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the impacted component.
Availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 25 Mar 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by 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 30 Oct 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponized: A Metasploit exploit module or Exploit-DB entry exists (Metasploit scanner modules do not count), or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Upgrade iOS and iPadOS and visionOS and watchOS to 26.4.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
AppleiOS and iPadOS	Affected <26.4	Fixed in 26.4
ApplevisionOS	Affected <26.4	Fixed in 26.4
ApplewatchOS	Affected <26.4	Fixed in 26.4

AI-suggested

To mitigate CVE-2026-28856, organizations and users should promptly update all affected Apple devices to iOS, iPadOS, visionOS, and watchOS version 26.4 or later, where the vulnerability is patched. Beyond patching, enforcing strong physical security controls such as secure storage, device tracking, and access restrictions can reduce the risk of unauthorized physical access. Implementing additional device-level protections like biometric authentication combined with strong passcodes can further harden devices against bypass attempts. Organizations should also educate users on the risks of leaving devices unattended and establish policies for immediate reporting and remote wiping of lost or stolen devices. For highly sensitive environments, consider deploying mobile device management (MDM) solutions that enforce encryption, lockout policies, and remote wipe capabilities. Regularly auditing device security posture and access logs can help detect potential physical compromise attempts early.

Description

The issue was addressed with improved authentication. This issue is fixed in iOS 26.4 and iPadOS 26.4, visionOS 26.4, watchOS 26.4. An attacker with physical access to a locked device may be able to view sensitive user information.

Impact

The primary impact of CVE-2026-28856 is the unauthorized disclosure of sensitive user information on Apple devices when an attacker gains physical access to a locked device. This can lead to privacy violations, exposure of personal or corporate data, and potential secondary attacks leveraging the disclosed information. Organizations that use Apple mobile and wearable devices for sensitive communications, data storage, or authentication tokens face increased risk of data leakage if devices are lost or stolen. Although the vulnerability does not affect data integrity or device availability, the confidentiality breach can undermine trust in device security and lead to regulatory compliance issues, especially in sectors handling personal identifiable information (PII) or confidential business data. The requirement for physical access limits the attack surface but does not eliminate risk, particularly in environments where devices are frequently unattended or at risk of theft. The absence of known exploits reduces immediate threat levels but does not preclude future exploitation attempts.

CWE-284Improper Access Control (opens in a new tab)
Pillar weaknessCWE Top 25 (2025): #19OWASP Top 10 A01:2025: Broken Access Control (opens in a new tab)
The product does not restrict or incorrectly restricts access to a resource from an unauthorized actor.
MITRE discourages mapping vulnerabilities to this broad entry; the root cause is usually a more specific weakness.
Architecture and Design · Operation
Very carefully manage the setting, management, and handling of privileges. Explicitly manage trust zones in the software.
Architecture and Design · Separation of Privilege
Compartmentalize the system to have "safe" areas where trust boundaries can be unambiguously drawn. Do not allow sensitive data to go outside of the trust boundary and always be careful when interfacing with a compartment outside of the safe area.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Docker Security (opens in a new tab)
Third Party Javascript Management (opens in a new tab)
Virtual Patching (opens in a new tab)
Authorization (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V1.4.4 (opens in a new tab)
V1.4.5 (opens in a new tab)
V1.10.1 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Embedding Scripts within Scripts (opens in a new tab)
Modification of Windows Service Configuration (opens in a new tab)
Malicious Root Certificate (opens in a new tab)
Intent Spoof (opens in a new tab)
WebView Exposure (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 3 Apr 2026, 03:11 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-284

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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