CVE-2026-112514 in iOS
Summary
by MITRE • 10/26/2026
A use-after-free issue was addressed with improved memory 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 attacker may be able to cause unexpected system termination or corrupt kernel memory.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/27/2026
The vulnerability described constitutes a critical use-after-free condition within the operating system's core components, specifically affecting iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, visionOS, and watchOS platforms. This class of defect arises when software continues to reference a block of memory after it has been freed or deallocated by the system. In this specific instance, the issue was addressed through improved memory management protocols that ensure pointers are properly invalidated once their associated resources are released. The flaw allows an attacker who can trigger the affected code path to interact with memory regions that no longer belong to the process, leading to undefined behavior within the kernel or privileged subsystems.
From a technical perspective, use-after-free vulnerabilities represent a severe integrity and availability risk because they bypass standard security boundaries by allowing arbitrary read and write operations on freed memory structures. When an attacker exploits this condition, they can manipulate data in memory that has already been returned to the allocator for reuse. This manipulation can lead to heap corruption, where adjacent allocations are overwritten with malicious payloads or control flow hijacking data such as function pointers or object vtables. The operational impact includes unexpected system termination, which manifests as a denial of service against the device's availability, and potential kernel memory corruption that compromises the stability and security posture of the entire operating environment.
This vulnerability aligns closely with Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) identifier CWE-416, Use After Free, which categorizes errors where pointers are used after they have been freed. In terms of offensive cybersecurity frameworks, this flaw facilitates techniques associated with MITRE ATT&CK tactic Execution and Defense Evasion, particularly through memory corruption exploitation methods that allow for privilege escalation or code execution within the kernel space. The ability to corrupt kernel memory is especially dangerous as it can lead to full system compromise if combined with other vulnerabilities or sophisticated exploit chains designed to bypass existing mitigations like Kernel Address Space Layout Randomization (KASLR) and Data Execution Prevention (DEP).
The affected software versions include 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, and watchOS 27.2. These updates contain the necessary patches to rectify the memory management logic that previously allowed for premature dereferencing of freed pointers. The inclusion of these fixes across multiple Apple operating systems indicates a systemic issue in shared kernel or framework codebases rather than an isolated application-level bug.
To mitigate this risk, administrators and users must ensure that all devices are updated to the latest patched versions listed above immediately upon availability. Since use-after-free vulnerabilities can often be triggered remotely via crafted network packets or locally through malicious applications with appropriate permissions, keeping systems up-to-date is the primary defense against exploitation. Additionally, organizations should enforce strict application whitelisting and minimize user privileges where possible to reduce the attack surface available for triggering such memory corruption events. Regular security audits and monitoring for anomalous system behavior can also help detect potential exploitation attempts in real-time before significant damage occurs.