VulnerabilityPublished 26 Oct 2026

CVE-2026-86969: Apple iOS and iPadOS · An app may be able to cause unexpected system termination or corrupt kernel memory

Affects Apple iOS and iPadOSSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited : upgrade to 27.2 or 26.7.2 soon.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 21:13 UTC

Severity

High

Rated High by Threat Radar's AI analysis · CVSS not yet scored by NVD

Patch: Available – fixed in 27.2, 26.7.2, 15.8.2

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 26 Oct 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: 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 26 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.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, 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 27.2 or 26.7.2; macOS to 27.2, 26.7.2 or 15.8.2.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
AppleiOS and iPadOS	Affected <27.2	Fixed in 27.2
AppleiOS and iPadOS	Affected <26.7.2	Fixed in 26.7.2
ApplemacOS	Affected <27.2	Fixed in 27.2
ApplemacOS	Affected <26.7.2	Fixed in 26.7.2
ApplemacOS	Affected <15.8.2	Fixed in 15.8.2

AI-suggested

Apply the official patches provided by Apple by upgrading to iOS and iPadOS versions 26.7.2 or 27.2, and macOS Golden Gate 27.2, Sequoia 15.8.2, or Tahoe 26.7.2. These updates contain the fix for the out-of-bounds write vulnerability. No additional mitigation steps are indicated by the vendor.

Description

CVE-2026-86969 is a vulnerability in Apple iOS, iPadOS, and macOS that involves an out-of-bounds write due to insufficient input validation. This flaw could allow a malicious app to cause unexpected system termination or corrupt kernel memory. The issue has been addressed and fixed in iOS and iPadOS versions 26.7.2 and 27.2, as well as macOS Golden Gate 27.2, Sequoia 15.8.2, and Tahoe 26.7.2.

Impact

An app exploiting this vulnerability may cause the system to terminate unexpectedly or corrupt kernel memory, which could lead to system instability or potential escalation of privileges. No known exploits in the wild have been reported at this time.

Summary

This vulnerability is caused by an out-of-bounds write in Apple operating systems, which was remediated by improved input validation. Exploitation could lead to unexpected system termination or kernel memory corruption, potentially impacting system stability and security. The flaw affects iOS, iPadOS, and multiple macOS versions prior to the fixed releases. The vendor has released official fixes in the specified versions to address this issue.

References

Community reviews

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 26 Oct 2026, 21:12 UTC

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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