Description
A use after free issue was addressed with improved memory management. This issue is fixed in iOS 26.7 and iPadOS 26.7, iOS 27 and iPadOS 27, macOS Golden Gate 27, macOS Sequoia 15.8, macOS Tahoe 26.7, visionOS 27. An app may be able to cause unexpected system termination.
Published: 2026-09-14
Score: 5.5 Medium
EPSS: < 1% Very Low
KEV: No
Impact: Unexpected System Termination
Action: Update
AI Analysis

Impact

A use‑after‑free flaw in Apple’s memory‑management code can cause an app to read or write memory that has already been freed. This flaw is able to trigger unexpected system termination, effectively resulting in a denial of service when the vulnerable kernel or system component attempts to access the corrupted memory. The weakness corresponds to CWE‑416, the classic use‑after‑free defect.

Affected Systems

Apple iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and visionOS releases prior to the following fixed versions are affected: iOS 26.7, iOS 27, iPadOS 26.7, iPadOS 27, macOS Golden Gate 27, macOS Sequoia 15.8, macOS Tahoe 26.7, and visionOS 27. All earlier builds remain vulnerable.

Risk and Exploitability

The CVSS score of 5.5 indicates moderate severity with an impact mainly limited to service disruption. The EPSS score of less than 1 % shows that exploitation is unlikely and no public exploits are known, which is consistent with its absence from the CISA KEV catalog. The attack vector is not explicitly detailed in the advisory; it is inferred that an attacker would need local or application‑delivery privileges to install a malicious app that abuses the use‑after‑free, making remote exploitation outside of a compromised device improbable.

Generated by OpenCVE AI on September 20, 2026 at 21:42 UTC.

Remediation

No solution or workaround provided in the CVE record.

OpenCVE Recommended Actions

  • Install the latest updates for iOS 27 or iPadOS 27, macOS Golden Gate 27, macOS Sequoia 15.8, macOS Tahoe 26.7, or visionOS 27 to replace the vulnerable memory‑management code.
  • Restrict app installations to the official App Store and avoid sideloading or using third‑party app stores, reducing the likelihood of a malicious app triggering the flaw.
  • Maintain up‑to‑date backups so devices can be restored quickly should a crash occur.
  • Enable system logging and review logs for abnormal crashes or termination events that could signal exploitation attempts.

Generated by OpenCVE AI on September 20, 2026 at 21:42 UTC.

Tracking

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Advisories

No advisories yet.

History

Sun, 20 Sep 2026 22:00:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Title Use‑After‑Free in Apple OS Memory Management Causes Unexpected System Termination

Wed, 16 Sep 2026 01:15:00 +0000

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:visionos:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
Vendors & Products Apple ipados
Apple iphone Os

Tue, 15 Sep 2026 17:30:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Metrics cvssV3_1

{'score': 5.5, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H'}

ssvc

{'options': {'Automatable': 'no', 'Exploitation': 'none', 'Technical Impact': 'partial'}, 'version': '2.0.3'}


Tue, 15 Sep 2026 11:45:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Title Use‑After‑Free in Apple OS Memory Management Causes Unexpected System Termination
Weaknesses CWE-416

Tue, 15 Sep 2026 03:45:00 +0000

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

Mon, 14 Sep 2026 21:00:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Description A use after free issue was addressed with improved memory management. This issue is fixed in iOS 26.7 and iPadOS 26.7, iOS 27 and iPadOS 27, macOS Golden Gate 27, macOS Sequoia 15.8, macOS Tahoe 26.7, visionOS 27. An app may be able to cause unexpected system termination.
References

Subscriptions

Apple Ios And Ipados Ipados Iphone Os Macos Visionos
cve-icon MITRE

Status: PUBLISHED

Assigner: apple

Published:

Updated: 2026-09-15T16:44:07.457Z

Reserved: 2026-09-01T21:13:17.749Z

Link: CVE-2026-84521

cve-icon Vulnrichment

Updated: 2026-09-15T16:43:53.071Z

cve-icon NVD

Status : Analyzed

Published: 2026-09-14T21:17:28.650

Modified: 2026-09-16T01:07:07.537

Link: CVE-2026-84521

cve-icon Redhat

No data.

cve-icon OpenCVE Enrichment

Updated: 2026-09-20T21:45:04Z

Weaknesses