CVE-2026-28846: Apple iPadOS Buffer Overflow Vulnerability

CVE-2026-28846 Overview

CVE-2026-28846 is a buffer overflow vulnerability affecting multiple Apple operating systems, including iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, visionOS, and watchOS. Apple addressed the flaw with improved bounds checking across affected platforms. A remote attacker can exploit the vulnerability over the network without authentication or user interaction to cause unexpected application termination. The issue is classified under [CWE-121] Stack-based Buffer Overflow.

Critical Impact
Remote, unauthenticated attackers can trigger a buffer overflow that crashes affected applications, producing a denial-of-service condition across Apple's device ecosystem.

Affected Products

Apple iOS prior to 18.7.9 and 26.5; Apple iPadOS prior to 18.7.9 and 26.5
Apple macOS Sequoia prior to 15.7.7, macOS Sonoma prior to 14.8.7, and macOS Tahoe prior to 26.5
Apple tvOS, visionOS, and watchOS prior to 26.5

Discovery Timeline

2026-05-11 - CVE-2026-28846 published to NVD
2026-05-13 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-28846

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability stems from a stack-based buffer overflow [CWE-121] in a component shared across Apple's operating systems. The affected code path fails to validate the size of attacker-supplied input before writing it into a fixed-size stack buffer. When the input exceeds the buffer capacity, adjacent memory is corrupted, leading to unexpected application termination.

Apple's advisory states that the issue was resolved by introducing improved bounds checking. The remote attack vector and lack of required privileges or user interaction make this an attractive target for opportunistic exploitation. While the publicly stated impact is limited to application termination, buffer overflows of this nature can sometimes be escalated depending on memory layout and compiler-level mitigations.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing or insufficient bounds checking when processing externally supplied data. The vulnerable routine wrote past the end of a stack buffer, violating memory safety guarantees and producing the conditions for a process crash.

Attack Vector

An attacker delivers a malformed payload over the network to a vulnerable Apple device. Processing the payload triggers the overflow and terminates the receiving application. No credentials, prior access, or user interaction are required. Apple has not disclosed which specific subsystem parses the malicious input, and no public proof-of-concept is currently available.

No verified exploitation code is publicly available for this CVE. Refer to the Apple Security Updates for vendor-supplied technical details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-28846

Indicators of Compromise

Repeated unexpected termination or crash reports for the same application across one or more Apple devices on a network segment.
Crash logs referencing memory corruption, stack canary violations, or EXC_BAD_ACCESS signals shortly after network traffic from untrusted peers.
Anomalous inbound traffic patterns targeting Apple endpoints from external or unmanaged sources.

Detection Strategies

Inventory Apple endpoints and identify devices running OS versions earlier than iOS/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, or watchOS 26.5.
Correlate crash telemetry with network flow data to flag repeated application terminations following untrusted inbound connections.
Monitor mobile device management (MDM) reports for devices that fail to apply the relevant Apple security update.

Monitoring Recommendations

Forward Apple crash reports and unified logs to a centralized analytics platform for trend analysis.
Alert on clusters of identical application crashes occurring across multiple endpoints within a short timeframe.
Track patch compliance for the eight Apple security updates listed in the advisory set.

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-28846

Immediate Actions Required

Update affected devices to 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, or watchOS 26.5.
Prioritize patching for internet-exposed and mobile devices that frequently connect to untrusted networks.
Enforce automatic updates through MDM policy where feasible.

Patch Information

Apple addressed CVE-2026-28846 with improved bounds checking in the following releases: iOS and iPadOS 18.7.9, iOS and iPadOS 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. See the Apple Security Update 127110, Apple Security Update 127111, Apple Security Update 127115, Apple Security Update 127116, Apple Security Update 127117, Apple Security Update 127118, Apple Security Update 127119, and Apple Security Update 127120 advisories for platform-specific details.

Workarounds

Restrict inbound network exposure for Apple devices that cannot be immediately patched, including filtering at perimeter and Wi-Fi controllers.
Disable or limit untrusted services that process attacker-controlled network input until updates are applied.
Segment vulnerable devices from production networks and require VPN-based access while remediation is in progress.

bash

# Verify current iOS/iPadOS version from an MDM query or device settings
# Settings > General > About > Software Version
# Target: iOS/iPadOS 18.7.9 or 26.5 (or later)

# Verify macOS version from the command line
sw_vers -productVersion
# Target: 14.8.7 (Sonoma), 15.7.7 (Sequoia), or 26.5 (Tahoe)