CVE-2026-112455 in iOS
Summary
by MITRE • 10/26/2026
An authorization issue was addressed with improved state management. This issue is fixed in iOS 26.7.2 and iPadOS 26.7.2, iOS 27.2 and iPadOS 27.2, macOS Golden Gate 27.2, macOS Sequoia 15.8.2, macOS Tahoe 26.7.2, tvOS 27.2, visionOS 27.2, watchOS 27.2. An app may be able to access sensitive user data.
Be aware that VulDB is the high quality source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/27/2026
The vulnerability described constitutes a critical authorization flaw rooted in inadequate state management within the operating system's application execution environment. This issue allows an unauthorized application to bypass intended security boundaries and gain access to sensitive user data that should remain isolated from other processes. The core technical deficiency lies in how the system handles session states or permission contexts during transitions between different applications or when maintaining background activity. When state is not properly validated, reset, or scoped correctly, it can lead to a situation where an app retains privileges or context information belonging to another user or application, effectively creating a privilege escalation path that violates the principle of least privilege and strict isolation mandates inherent in modern mobile operating systems.
From a technical perspective, this flaw aligns with CWE-269 Improper Privilege Management and potentially CWE-807 Reliance on Untrusted Inputs in State Variables. The failure to properly manage state implies that the system does not adequately verify whether the current context of an application is legitimate for accessing specific resources at a given moment. This could involve session tokens, authentication cookies, or internal memory states that are incorrectly shared or persisted across process boundaries. Such mismanagement enables an attacker who has installed a malicious app to exploit these lingering state variables to read files, access contacts, messages, or other personally identifiable information belonging to the device owner or other users on the same system.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe due to its potential for widespread data exfiltration and privacy violations. Since it affects multiple platforms including iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, visionOS, and watchOS, the attack surface is extensive across Apple's ecosystem. An attacker could leverage this flaw to perform unauthorized surveillance or steal credentials without requiring physical access to the device after initial installation of a malicious app. This undermines user trust in the platform's security model and exposes individuals to risks such as identity theft, financial fraud, and corporate espionage if enterprise data is stored on compromised devices. The ability to access sensitive data remotely or through local exploitation makes this a high-severity issue that demands immediate attention from both developers and end-users.
Mitigation strategies primarily involve the deployment of the provided software updates which address these state management deficiencies by enforcing stricter isolation protocols and validating authorization contexts more rigorously before granting resource access. Users should ensure their devices are updated to iOS 26.7.2, iPadOS 26.7.2, iOS 27.2, iPadOS 27.2, macOS Golden Gate 27.2, macOS Sequoia 15.8.2, macOS Tahoe 26.7.2, tvOS 27.2, visionOS 27.2, or watchOS 27.2 as soon as possible to patch this authorization bypass. Additionally, developers should review their application code for any reliance on implicit state assumptions and implement explicit checks for user permissions before accessing sensitive APIs. Security monitoring tools can also be configured to detect anomalous access patterns that may indicate exploitation of such state management flaws in real-time environments.