CVE-2026-112516 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 app may be able to cause unexpected system termination.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/27/2026
The vulnerability described constitutes a critical memory management flaw classified as a use-after-free error, which represents one of the most dangerous classes of software defects in systems programming. This specific issue arises when an application attempts to access or manipulate a block of memory that has already been deallocated by the operating system's memory manager. In standard computer science theory and cybersecurity frameworks such as CWE-416, this condition occurs because the program fails to update its pointers after freeing the associated data structure, leading it to retain references to invalid addresses. When the application subsequently dereferences these stale pointers, it triggers undefined behavior within the kernel or system services responsible for managing that memory region. The root cause typically involves a race condition where multiple threads interact with shared resources without proper synchronization mechanisms, allowing one thread to free memory while another is still in the process of using it.
From an operational perspective, the immediate impact of this vulnerability is severe instability within the affected Apple operating systems including iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, visionOS, and watchOS versions listed. The primary consequence observed is unexpected system termination, which manifests as application crashes or potentially broader kernel panics depending on the privilege level at which the exploit executes. While the description highlights app-level termination, use-after-free vulnerabilities in core system components can often be leveraged to achieve arbitrary code execution with elevated privileges. An attacker could craft a malicious payload that triggers this memory corruption state, allowing them to overwrite critical data structures such as function pointers or exception handlers. This capability transforms a simple denial-of-service scenario into a potential full compromise of the device's integrity and confidentiality.
The technical significance of this flaw is further contextualized by its alignment with MITRE ATT&CK techniques related to privilege escalation and defense evasion. Attackers frequently utilize memory corruption vulnerabilities like use-after-free as initial access vectors or post-exploitation tools to bypass security controls such as Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR) and Data Execution Prevention (DEP). By carefully controlling the contents of the freed memory block, an attacker can achieve heap spraying techniques that increase the likelihood of overwriting a target structure with executable code. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous in mobile environments where sandboxing is intended to isolate applications but may be circumvented if kernel-level memory corruption occurs. The fact that this issue affects multiple platforms indicates a systemic weakness in shared framework libraries or core system services common across Apple's ecosystem, suggesting that the flaw resides in widely used components rather than isolated application code.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability rely heavily on the software updates provided by Apple, which implement improved memory management protocols to prevent dangling pointer access. These fixes likely involve introducing safe abstraction layers around raw pointer arithmetic, implementing reference counting mechanisms with atomic operations to ensure thread safety, or utilizing modern language features that enforce lifetime checks at compile time where applicable. For developers and system administrators, it is imperative to apply these patches immediately across all managed devices running the affected versions of iOS 26.7.2 through iPadOS 27.2, macOS Golden Gate 27.2, Sequoia 15.8.2, Tahoe 26.7.2, tvOS 27.2, visionOS 27.2, and watchOS 27.2. Additionally, organizations should enforce strict application whitelisting policies to minimize the risk of malicious apps triggering this flaw in production environments until all endpoints are fully patched. Continuous monitoring for anomalous system terminations or kernel logs indicating memory corruption events can also serve as an early warning indicator for potential exploitation attempts targeting unpatched systems.