CVE-2026-112599 in iOS
Summary
by MITRE • 10/26/2026
A use-after-free issue was addressed with improved memory management. This issue is fixed in Safari 27.2, iOS 27.2 and iPadOS 27.2, macOS Golden Gate 27.2, tvOS 27.2, visionOS 27.2, watchOS 27.2. Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to an unexpected process crash.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/27/2026
The vulnerability described is a classic use-after-free error, which falls under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-416. This type of memory management flaw occurs when software continues to use a pointer after it has been freed or deallocated from memory. In the context of web browsers like Safari and its underlying engine WebKit, this often happens during the processing of complex HTML, CSS, JavaScript, or other web content structures. When an object is no longer needed, the system releases the associated memory block back to the heap allocator. However, if a reference to that object persists in another part of the application logic without proper invalidation, subsequent operations may attempt to access or modify data at that now-invalid memory address. This scenario represents a critical failure in maintaining pointer integrity and lifecycle management within the browser's rendering engine.
From an operational perspective, the immediate impact of this vulnerability is typically a denial of service manifested as an unexpected process crash. When the application attempts to dereference the dangling pointer, it accesses memory that may have been reallocated for other purposes or marked as inaccessible by the operating system. This triggers a segmentation fault or similar exception handler, causing the browser tab or the entire Safari process to terminate abruptly. While modern browsers employ various sandboxing techniques and heap hardening measures such as ASLR (Address Space Layout Randomization) and DEP/NX (Data Execution Prevention), these mitigations primarily aim to prevent code execution rather than stop crashes entirely. Consequently, an attacker can reliably disrupt user sessions by crafting malicious web content that triggers this specific memory corruption sequence during page rendering or script execution.
Although the primary observed effect is a crash, use-after-free vulnerabilities are historically significant because they can often be exploited for remote code execution under certain conditions. If an attacker can control the data written to the freed memory region before it is reallocated and used again, they may achieve arbitrary read/write primitives. These primitives allow for bypassing sandbox boundaries, leading to full system compromise. However, in this specific instance as reported by Apple, the focus remains on the stability impact rather than confirmed exploitability for code execution. The fix involves improving memory management practices within WebKit, likely through enhanced reference counting mechanisms, nullifying pointers after deallocation, or implementing stricter checks before object access to ensure that freed resources are not inadvertently reused.
To mitigate risks associated with this vulnerability, users should ensure their devices are updated to the specified versions: Safari 27.2, iOS 27.2, iPadOS 27.2, macOS Golden Gate 27.2, tvOS 27.2, visionOS 27.2, and watchOS 27.2. These updates contain the necessary patches to correct the memory handling logic in WebKit. For organizations managing fleets of devices, automated patch management systems should be configured to prioritize these security updates. Additionally, users can reduce their exposure by employing browser extensions that block suspicious scripts or limiting browsing on untrusted websites until all endpoints are fully patched. Security monitoring tools may also detect anomalous behavior patterns associated with memory corruption attempts, although the effectiveness of such detection depends heavily on the specific implementation details not disclosed in this advisory.
This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203, which covers Exploitation for Client Execution, as it involves processing maliciously crafted content to trigger a failure state within a client-side application. The underlying weakness is categorized under CWE-416: Use After Free, reflecting the fundamental flaw in how memory resources are managed during object lifecycle transitions. Addressing this issue requires rigorous code review practices focused on pointer validity checks and robust unit testing that specifically targets edge cases involving rapid allocation and deallocation cycles within dynamic web content processing pipelines.