CVE-2026-112652 in iOS
Summary
by MITRE • 10/26/2026
A logic issue was addressed with improved state 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, visionOS 27.2. An malicious app may be able to bypass certificate validation.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/26/2026
The vulnerability described involves a critical logic flaw within the state management mechanisms of Apple's operating systems, specifically affecting iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and visionOS environments. This issue centers on improper handling of security states during cryptographic operations or network authentication processes, which allows an application to manipulate internal variables in a way that circumvents expected validation checks. In secure software design, state machines are responsible for ensuring that transitions between different operational modes occur only under valid conditions. When this logic is flawed, the system may fail to enforce mandatory certificate validation steps, effectively creating a gap where security controls can be bypassed without triggering standard error states or alerts.
The core technical flaw lies in how the operating system manages the lifecycle of secure connections and identity verification processes. Typically, when an application initiates a connection requiring mutual authentication or server-side certificate validation, the underlying framework must maintain strict state consistency to ensure that every required check is completed before granting access. The identified logic error suggests that under specific conditions, possibly involving race conditions or improper sequencing of API calls, the system may proceed with establishing a trusted session even when the certificate validation step has not been fully executed or its result was incorrectly interpreted as successful. This bypass allows malicious applications to establish connections to potentially hostile servers while appearing to have passed standard security checks, thereby deceiving both the operating system and any higher-level application logic that relies on these assurances for safety decisions.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability poses a severe risk to data integrity and confidentiality. If a malicious app can bypass certificate validation, it enables man-in-the-middle attacks where sensitive user data, including credentials, financial information, or private communications, could be intercepted by attackers posing as legitimate services. Since the flaw allows the system to trust invalid or unverified certificates, users may unknowingly interact with phishing sites or compromised infrastructure without any warning indicators typically provided by secure browsing environments. This undermines the fundamental trust model of mobile and desktop ecosystems, where applications rely on the operating system's network stack to enforce security policies consistently across all processes.
This vulnerability aligns closely with CWE-295 Improper Certificate Validation, which describes failures in verifying that a certificate is valid for its intended purpose or issued by a trusted authority. Furthermore, it relates to ATT&CK technique T1078 Valid Accounts and potentially T1041 Exfiltration Over C2 Channel if the bypassed connection is used for command-and-control communications. The ability to bypass validation effectively neutralizes one of the primary defenses against network-based attacks, allowing attackers to operate with a higher degree of stealth and effectiveness within the device's ecosystem.
Mitigation requires immediate application of the provided software updates across all affected platforms, including 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, and visionOS 27.2. These updates contain the necessary logic corrections to ensure that state management during certificate validation is robust against manipulation. Developers should also review their applications for any custom implementations of network security protocols that might rely on internal states not fully managed by the system framework, ensuring they adhere strictly to Apple's recommended secure coding practices. Regular patching and monitoring for anomalous network behavior remain essential components of a defense-in-depth strategy against such logic-based vulnerabilities.