CVE-2026-43668

Use‑After‑Free in Apple Systems Causes Kernel Corruption and System Termination

Published May 11, 2026 CVSS 3.1 · 7.5 High EPSS 1.1% KEV · Not listed

Description

A use after free issue was addressed with improved memory management. This issue is fixed in iOS 18.7.9 and iPadOS 18.7.9, iOS 26.5 and iPadOS 26.5, macOS Sequoia 15.7.7, macOS Sonoma 14.8.7, macOS Tahoe 26.5, tvOS 26.5, visionOS 26.5, watchOS 26.5. A remote attacker may be able to cause unexpected system termination or corrupt kernel memory.

Analysis

Technical impact

A use‑after‑free flaw in Apple’s memory management can lead to kernel memory corruption or unexpected system termination. The vulnerability is remote in nature, and its exploitation would allow an attacker to corrupt privileged memory, which could be leveraged for privilege escalation or denial of service.

Affected Systems

Apple devices running iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, visionOS, and watchOS may be affected. The fix is included in iOS 18.7.9 or 26.5, iPadOS 18.7.9 or 26.5, macOS Sequoia 15.7.7, macOS Sonoma 14.8.7, macOS Tahoe 26.5, tvOS 26.5, visionOS 26.5, and watchOS 26.5.

Risk and Exploitability

The CVSS score is 7.5 and the EPSS score is < 1%. However, the nature of the flaw and its kernel‑level impact imply a high severity. The vulnerability is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog and no public exploits are known, yet the potential for remote exploitation warrants vigilance and swift remediation.

Affected Products

Default status is the baseline for the product, each version can override it (e.g. patched versions marked unaffected).

Vendor Product Default status Versions

Apple

iOS and iPadOS

affected

Version	Status	Constraints
`0`	affected	< 18.7.9
`0`	affected	< 26.5

Apple

macOS

affected

Version	Status	Constraints
`0`	affected	< 14.8.7
`0`	affected	< 15.7.7
`0`	affected	< 26.5

Apple

tvOS

affected

Version	Status	Constraints
`0`	affected	< 26.5

Apple

visionOS

affected

Version	Status	Constraints
`0`	affected	< 26.5

Apple

watchOS

affected

Version	Status	Constraints
`0`	affected	< 26.5

Configuration 1 [-]

OR	cpe:2.3:o:apple:ipados::::::::
	cpe:2.3:o:apple:ipados::::::::
	cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os::::::::
	cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os::::::::
	cpe:2.3:o:apple:macos::::::::
	cpe:2.3:o:apple:macos::::::::
	cpe:2.3:o:apple:macos::::::::
	cpe:2.3:o:apple:tvos::::::::
	cpe:2.3:o:apple:visionos::::::::
	cpe:2.3:o:apple:watchos::::::::

No data.

Vendor Product Versions

Apple

Ios And Ipados

Version	Status	Scheme	Platform
`[0,18.7.9)`	affected	generic	—
`[0,26.5)`	affected	generic	—

Apple

Macos

Version	Status	Scheme	Platform
`[0,14.8.7)`	affected	generic	—
`[0,15.7.7)`	affected	generic	—
`[0,26.5)`	affected	generic	—

Apple

Tvos

Version	Status	Scheme	Platform
`[0,26.5)`	affected	generic	—

Apple

Visionos

Version	Status	Scheme	Platform
`[0,26.5)`	affected	generic	—

Apple

Watchos

Version	Status	Scheme	Platform
`[0,26.5)`	affected	generic	—

Remediation

No solution or workaround provided in the CVE record.

OpenCVE Recommended Actions

Apply the latest OS updates that include the fix for the affected products: iOS 18.7.9 or 26.5, iPadOS 18.7.9 or 26.5, macOS Sequoia 15.7.7, macOS Sonoma 14.8.7, macOS Tahoe 26.5, tvOS 26.5, visionOS 26.5, and watchOS 26.5.
If updates are not yet available for a device, follow Apple’s support guidance to disable or limit usage of the features that may trigger the flaw, thereby reducing the attack surface.
Continuously monitor Apple’s security advisories for additional mitigations or patch releases and validate that devices remain updated.

Generated by OpenCVE AI on May 13, 2026 at 00:07 UTC.

Tracking

Advisories

No advisories available

Metrics

No CVSS v4.0

Attack Vector Network

Attack Complexity Low

Privileges Required None

Scope Unchanged

Confidentiality Impact None

Integrity Impact None

Availability Impact High

User Interaction None

No CVSS v3.0

No CVSS v2

This CVE is not in the KEV list.

Exploit prediction score: 1.1% (1.115% probability within 30 days)

Exploitation none

Automatable no

Technical Impact partial

References

Link	Providers
https://support.apple.com/en-us/127110
https://support.apple.com/en-us/127111
https://support.apple.com/en-us/127115
https://support.apple.com/en-us/127116
https://support.apple.com/en-us/127117
https://support.apple.com/en-us/127118
https://support.apple.com/en-us/127119
https://support.apple.com/en-us/127120

History

May 13, 2026 3:30 PM First appearance in the feed. Affected versions updated. Affected vendors updated View changes

Type	Values Removed	Values Added
First Time appeared		Apple ipados Apple iphone Os
CPEs		cpe:2.3:o:apple:ipados:::::::: cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os:::::::: cpe:2.3:o:apple:macos:::::::: cpe:2.3:o:apple:tvos:::::::: cpe:2.3:o:apple:visionos:::::::: cpe:2.3:o:apple:watchos::::::::
Vendors & Products		Apple ipados Apple iphone Os

May 13, 2026 12:30 AM Title updated View changes

Type	Values Removed	Values Added
Title		Use‑After‑Free in Apple Systems Causes Kernel Corruption and System Termination

May 12, 2026 10:15 PM Title updated. Weaknesses updated View changes

Type	Values Removed	Values Added
Title	Use‑After‑Free Causing Kernel Memory Corruption on Apple OS
Weaknesses	CWE-122

May 12, 2026 6:15 PM Scoring metrics updated View changes

Type	Values Removed	Values Added
Metrics		cvssV3_1 `{'score': 7.5, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H'}` ssvc `{'options': {'Automatable': 'no', 'Exploitation': 'none', 'Technical Impact': 'partial'}, 'version': '2.0.3'}`

May 11, 2026 11:00 PM Title updated. Weaknesses updated View changes

Type	Values Removed	Values Added
Title		Use‑After‑Free Causing Kernel Memory Corruption on Apple OS
Weaknesses		CWE-122 CWE-416

May 11, 2026 10:45 PM First appearance in the feed. Affected vendors updated View changes

Type	Values Removed	Values Added
First Time appeared		Apple Apple ios And Ipados Apple macos Apple tvos Apple visionos Apple watchos
Vendors & Products		Apple Apple ios And Ipados Apple macos Apple tvos Apple visionos Apple watchos

May 11, 2026 8:45 PM Description updated. Added references View changes

Type	Values Removed	Values Added
Description		A use after free issue was addressed with improved memory management. This issue is fixed in iOS 18.7.9 and iPadOS 18.7.9, iOS 26.5 and iPadOS 26.5, macOS Sequoia 15.7.7, macOS Sonoma 14.8.7, macOS Tahoe 26.5, tvOS 26.5, visionOS 26.5, watchOS 26.5. A remote attacker may be able to cause unexpected system termination or corrupt kernel memory.
References		https://support.apple.com/en-us/127110 https://support.apple.com/en-us/127111 https://support.apple.com/en-us/127115 https://support.apple.com/en-us/127116 https://support.apple.com/en-us/127117 https://support.apple.com/en-us/127118 https://support.apple.com/en-us/127119 https://support.apple.com/en-us/127120