CVE-2026-112517 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 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 error within the operating system's core components, specifically affecting iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, visionOS, and watchOS platforms. This type of flaw arises when software continues to reference a block of memory after it has been freed or deallocated by the system. In this specific instance, improved memory management practices were implemented to resolve the issue, ensuring that pointers are properly invalidated once their associated resources are released. The affected versions span multiple major releases including iOS 26.7.2 and iPadOS 26.7.2, as well as newer iterations like iOS 27.2 and corresponding updates for macOS Sequoia 15.8.2 and other platform-specific builds such as tvOS 27.2 and watchOS 27.2. The presence of this vulnerability indicates a lapse in the rigorous tracking of memory lifecycles, which is fundamental to maintaining system stability and security integrity across Apple's ecosystem.
From a technical perspective, use-after-free vulnerabilities are particularly dangerous because they allow an attacker to manipulate how freed memory is reused by subsequent operations. When an application or process retains a reference to deallocated kernel memory, it can read stale data that may contain sensitive information from previous users of that memory space. More critically, if the system reallocates that same memory block for a different purpose while the old pointer remains active, writing to this location via the dangling pointer can corrupt adjacent structures in the heap or stack. This corruption disrupts normal program execution flow and control data integrity within the kernel environment. The severity is amplified by the fact that these issues occur at the system level rather than solely within isolated user-space applications, thereby increasing the potential blast radius of any successful exploitation attempt.
The operational impact of this vulnerability centers on two primary outcomes: unexpected system termination and corruption of kernel memory. An attacker who can trigger the use-after-free condition through a maliciously crafted app or web content may cause the operating system to crash, resulting in a denial-of-service scenario where critical services become unavailable until a reboot occurs. However, the more severe implication involves arbitrary code execution potential. By carefully controlling the contents of the freed memory and timing subsequent allocations, an attacker might overwrite function pointers or return addresses within kernel structures. This capability enables privilege escalation from unprivileged user space to ring-zero kernel privileges, granting full control over the device. Such access allows for persistent malware installation, data exfiltration without detection, and complete compromise of the underlying hardware security model including Secure Enclave interactions if applicable.
This vulnerability aligns with Common Weakness Enumeration identifier CWE-416, which defines use after free as a situation where an application uses memory that has already been freed. It also maps to MITRE ATT&CK techniques related to privilege escalation and defense evasion, specifically those involving exploitation of binary vulnerabilities for initial access or lateral movement within enterprise environments. The ability to corrupt kernel memory facilitates persistence mechanisms that bypass standard sandboxing protections inherent in modern mobile operating systems like iOS and iPadOS. Consequently, this flaw represents a significant risk vector against both individual consumers relying on personal devices for sensitive communications and enterprises managing corporate data across fleets of managed Apple devices running macOS or visionOS configurations.
Mitigation strategies primarily involve immediate software updates to the patched versions listed above. Organizations should enforce automated patch management policies to ensure all endpoints are updated promptly upon release of security fixes like iOS 26.7.2, iPadOS 26.7.2, and their counterparts for macOS Sequoia 15.8.2 and other platforms. For environments where immediate patching is not feasible due to compatibility concerns, network segmentation can help limit exposure by restricting access from untrusted networks or devices to critical internal systems running vulnerable software. Additionally, deploying endpoint detection and response solutions capable of monitoring anomalous kernel behavior may provide early warning indicators of exploitation attempts targeting this specific memory management flaw. Developers should also adopt static analysis tools that detect potential use-after-free conditions during the coding phase to prevent similar defects in future releases.