VulnerabilityPublished 25 Mar 2026Updated 26 Oct 2026

CVE-2026-28876: Apple iOS and iPadOS · Improper Access Control

Affects Apple iOS and iPadOSSource CVE Database V5

Compare

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.5 High : upgrade to 26.4 or 18.7.7 soon.

Data as of 30 Oct 2026, 12:04 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

7.5High

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	7.5

EPSS: 0.4% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 41% 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:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

Attack Vector: Network
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: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
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; visionOS to 26.4.

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
ApplevisionOS	Affected <26.4	Fixed in 26.4

AI-suggested

Organizations and users should immediately update all affected Apple operating systems to the patched versions: iOS 18.7.7, iPadOS 18.7.7, iOS 26.4, iPadOS 26.4, macOS Sequoia 15.7.5, macOS Sonoma 14.8.5, macOS Tahoe 26.4, and visionOS 26.4. Beyond patching, restrict app installations to trusted sources such as the official Apple App Store and enforce strict app review policies to reduce the risk of malicious apps exploiting this vulnerability. Employ mobile device management (MDM) solutions to monitor and control app permissions and detect anomalous app behavior indicative of data access abuse. Regularly audit device logs for suspicious access patterns related to file system operations. Educate users about the risks of sideloading apps or installing untrusted software. For organizations, consider implementing data encryption and additional endpoint security controls to limit the impact of potential data exposure. Continuous vulnerability management and timely deployment of security updates remain critical.

Description

A parsing issue in the handling of directory paths was addressed with improved path validation. 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, visionOS 26.4. An app may be able to access sensitive user data.

Impact

The primary impact of CVE-2026-28876 is unauthorized access to sensitive user data on affected Apple devices. This can lead to significant confidentiality breaches, including exposure of personal information, credentials, or other private data stored on the device. Since exploitation requires no privileges or user interaction, malicious apps could silently extract data, potentially undermining user privacy and organizational security. For enterprises, this could result in data leakage, regulatory compliance violations, and erosion of trust. The vulnerability does not affect system integrity or availability directly but compromises confidentiality at a high level. Given the widespread use of Apple devices in both consumer and enterprise environments, the potential scale of impact is substantial if exploited. The absence of known exploits currently reduces immediate risk, but the ease of exploitation and severity warrant urgent patching to mitigate future attacks.

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

Community reviews

Loading reviews…

Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 3 Apr 2026, 03:14 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-284

Technical details

References

Community reviews

Related threats