VulnerabilityPublished 25 Mar 2026Updated 2 Apr 2026

CVE-2026-28895: Apple iOS and iPadOS · Improper Access Control

Affects Apple iOS and iPadOSSource CVE Database V5

Compare

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: 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 8% 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 Apple iOS and iPadOS to 26.4.

Affected software

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

AI-suggested

To mitigate CVE-2026-28895, organizations and users should immediately update all affected iOS and iPadOS devices to version 26.4 or later, where the vulnerability has been fixed with improved authentication checks. Beyond patching, organizations should enforce strict device management policies including enabling full-disk encryption and strong passcodes to reduce the risk of passcode compromise. Deploy Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions to enforce security configurations and remotely wipe lost or stolen devices promptly. Limit physical access to devices, especially in high-risk environments, and educate users on the importance of reporting lost or stolen devices immediately. For highly sensitive applications, consider implementing additional application-level encryption or multi-factor authentication mechanisms that do not rely solely on device biometrics or passcodes. Regularly audit device security settings and access logs to detect suspicious activity. Finally, maintain an incident response plan that includes procedures for handling potential data exposure resulting from physical device compromise.

Description

The issue was addressed with improved checks. This issue is fixed in iOS 26.4 and iPadOS 26.4. An attacker with physical access to an iOS device with Stolen Device Protection enabled may be able to access biometrics-gated Protected Apps with the passcode.

Impact

The primary impact of CVE-2026-28895 is the unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information stored within biometrically protected applications on iOS and iPadOS devices. Attackers with physical access can bypass biometric authentication by using the device passcode, potentially exposing confidential data such as personal information, corporate secrets, or financial details. This undermines the confidentiality guarantees of the Stolen Device Protection feature. While the vulnerability does not affect data integrity or device availability, the breach of confidentiality can lead to privacy violations, identity theft, corporate espionage, or regulatory non-compliance for organizations. The risk is heightened in environments where devices are frequently lost, stolen, or accessible to untrusted individuals, such as in field operations, travel, or shared device scenarios. Organizations relying on Apple mobile devices for sensitive communications or data storage may face increased exposure to insider threats or opportunistic attackers. Although no exploits are currently known in the wild, the vulnerability could be leveraged in targeted attacks against high-value individuals or organizations. Prompt patching is essential to mitigate these risks and maintain trust in device security controls.

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

support.apple.com/en-us/126792 (opens in a new tab)

Community reviews

Loading reviews…

Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 3 Apr 2026, 03:17 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-284

Technical details

References

Community reviews

Related threats