CVE-2026-112637 in Safari
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 arbitrary code execution.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/27/2026
The vulnerability described constitutes a critical use-after-free error within the Safari rendering engine and associated WebKit components across multiple Apple operating systems including iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, visionOS, and watchOS. This class of memory corruption flaw arises when the application continues to reference a block of memory after it has been freed or deallocated by the system. In the context of web content processing, this typically occurs during the lifecycle management of DOM objects, JavaScript engine structures, or internal rendering buffers where an object is released while still being referenced by another active component such as a script handler or layout tree node. The root cause lies in insufficient memory management logic that fails to nullify pointers or update reference counts appropriately before deallocation, leaving dangling pointers that can be exploited by malicious actors.
From a technical perspective, this flaw aligns with CWE-416 Use After Free, which is categorized as a high-severity issue due to its potential for remote code execution. When an attacker crafts specific web content containing malformed scripts or specially constructed HTML elements, they can trigger the premature deallocation of critical memory structures while retaining access through lingering references. By carefully controlling the timing and allocation patterns in subsequent operations, it may be possible to reallocate that freed memory with controlled data. This allows the attacker to overwrite function pointers, object vtables, or other control flow mechanisms within the browser process. Consequently, when the application attempts to use these corrupted structures, it executes arbitrary code under the privileges of the user running the browser, effectively bypassing standard sandbox protections if the exploit chain is sufficiently sophisticated.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it enables remote code execution without requiring any user interaction beyond visiting a maliciously crafted website or opening a compromised email attachment with embedded web content. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203 Exploitation for Client Execution, where attackers leverage software vulnerabilities to execute code on the victim's device. The ability to achieve arbitrary code execution means that an attacker could potentially install malware, steal sensitive data such as cookies and credentials, or establish a persistent foothold within the system depending on the user's privilege level. Given the widespread adoption of Safari across Apple devices, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to both individual users and enterprise environments relying on these platforms for secure web browsing.
Mitigation strategies primarily involve applying the software updates released in version 27.2 for all affected operating systems including Safari, iOS, iPadOS, macOS Golden Gate, tvOS, visionOS, and watchOS. These patches address the underlying memory management flaws by implementing stricter checks on object lifecycles and ensuring that pointers are properly invalidated after deallocation. In addition to patching, organizations should enforce strict content security policies within their web applications to prevent the execution of untrusted scripts where possible. Users should also maintain up-to-date antivirus solutions and enable automatic OS updates to ensure timely protection against newly disclosed vulnerabilities. Regular auditing of third-party browser extensions is recommended as they can sometimes introduce similar memory management issues if not properly maintained by their developers.