VulnerabilityPublished 25 Mar 2026Updated 26 Oct 2026

CVE-2026-28866: Apple iOS and iPadOS · Link Following

Affects Apple iOS and iPadOSSource CVE Database V5

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Not known to be exploited · CVSS 6.2 Medium : upgrade to 26.4 or 18.7.7 when convenient.

Data as of 30 Oct 2026, 12:04 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

6.2Medium

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

Thin evidence

One scorer or none

CVSS scores by source
CISA-ADP	CVSS 3.1	6.2

EPSS: 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 15% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 26.4, 18.7.7, 15.7.5 +1

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

Attack Vector: Local
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: Local: The vulnerable component is not bound to the network stack and the attacker’s path is via read/write/execute capabilities. Either: the attacker exploits the vulnerability by accessing the target system locally (e.g., keyboard, console), or remotely (e.g., SSH); or the attacker relies on User Interaction by another person to perform actions required to exploit the vulnerability (e.g., tricking a legitimate user into opening a malicious document).
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 to 26.4 or 18.7.7; macOS to 26.4, 15.7.5 or 14.8.5.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
AppleiOS and iPadOS	Affected <26.4	Fixed in 26.4
AppleiOS and iPadOS	Affected <18.7.7	Fixed in 18.7.7
ApplemacOS	Affected <26.4	Fixed in 26.4
ApplemacOS	Affected <15.7.5	Fixed in 15.7.5
ApplemacOS	Affected <14.8.5	Fixed in 14.8.5

AI-suggested

To mitigate CVE-2026-28866, organizations and users should promptly apply the security updates released by Apple: iOS 18.7.7, iPadOS 18.7.7, and corresponding macOS patches (Sequoia 15.7.5, Sonoma 14.8.5, Tahoe 26.4). Beyond patching, organizations should enforce strict app vetting policies, limiting installation to trusted sources such as the official Apple App Store and employing Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions to control app deployment. Monitoring for unusual app behavior or unauthorized data access can help detect exploitation attempts. Additionally, restricting local app installation rights and educating users about the risks of installing untrusted applications can reduce exposure. Employing data encryption and access controls at the application level can provide layered defense even if the OS-level vulnerability is exploited. Regular security audits and vulnerability assessments on Apple devices will help ensure compliance and timely remediation.

Description

This issue was addressed with improved validation of symlinks. This issue is fixed in iOS 18.7.7 and iPadOS 18.7.7, iOS 26.4 and iPadOS 26.4, macOS Sequoia 15.7.5, macOS Sonoma 14.8.5, macOS Tahoe 26.4. An app may be able to access sensitive user data.

Impact

The primary impact of CVE-2026-28866 is unauthorized access to sensitive user data on affected Apple devices. This can lead to privacy violations, exposure of personal or corporate information, and potential downstream attacks leveraging the stolen data. Since the vulnerability does not affect integrity or availability, it does not directly enable data modification or service disruption. However, the confidentiality breach can have serious consequences, especially for organizations handling sensitive or regulated data on iOS/iPadOS devices. The ease of exploitation—requiring only local app installation without user interaction or privileges—raises the risk that malicious apps could leverage this flaw to silently access protected data. This could affect enterprises with BYOD policies, government agencies, and individuals relying on Apple devices for secure communication and data storage. The absence of known exploits currently reduces immediate risk, but the vulnerability should be treated seriously due to the potential for future exploitation.

CWE-59Improper Link Resolution Before File Access (Link Following) (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessLikelihood of exploit: MediumOWASP Top 10 A01:2025: Broken Access Control (opens in a new tab)
The product attempts to access a file based on the filename, but it does not properly prevent that filename from identifying a link or shortcut that resolves to an unintended resource.
Architecture and Design · Separation of Privilege
Follow the principle of least privilege when assigning access rights to entities in a software system.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Authorization (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Symlink Attack (opens in a new tab)
Using Malicious Files (opens in a new tab)
Leverage Executable Code in Non-Executable Files (opens in a new tab)
Manipulating Web Input to File System Calls (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, 03:13 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-59

Technical details

References

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