CVE-2026-112654 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 26.7.2 and iPadOS 26.7.2, iOS 27.2 and iPadOS 27.2, macOS Golden Gate 27.2, visionOS 27.2. Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to an unexpected process termination.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/27/2026
The vulnerability in question is a use-after-free error, which falls under the CWE-416 classification within the Common Weakness Enumeration framework. 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, such issues are particularly critical because they arise during the processing of complex web content that interacts with JavaScript objects and DOM elements. When an object is no longer needed but remains referenced by another part of the application, accessing it can lead to reading or writing to invalid memory addresses. This behavior violates fundamental principles of secure coding practices outlined in standards such as CWE-120 for buffer overflows if the freed memory contains sensitive data that gets overwritten, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution rather than just a crash.
The technical flaw stems from improper lifecycle management within the browser's rendering or scripting engine. Specifically, when maliciously crafted web content is processed, it triggers a sequence of events where an object reference persists beyond its valid lifetime. The attacker crafts specific HTML and JavaScript payloads designed to exploit race conditions or logical errors in how memory is allocated and released during page parsing. By carefully timing the deallocation of certain DOM nodes while maintaining active references through event handlers or asynchronous callbacks, the malicious content forces the browser engine to access freed heap memory. This action disrupts the internal state consistency of the process, leading to undefined behavior that manifests as an unexpected termination of the application rather than a controlled error handling routine.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability primarily results in denial-of-service conditions due to the abrupt termination of the Safari or WebKit-based processes on affected devices including iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and visionOS platforms. While modern operating systems employ sandboxing mechanisms that may limit the immediate impact by preventing direct system-level compromise, a successful exploit could potentially allow for further attacks if additional vulnerabilities are chained together. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this behavior under techniques related to execution via browser-based vectors, specifically noting how attackers leverage legitimate software features like web content processing to achieve their goals. Although the primary observed effect is process termination, use-after-free bugs are historically associated with higher severity outcomes including privilege escalation and remote code execution if memory corruption can be precisely controlled by an attacker.
Mitigation strategies focus on both immediate patching and long-term architectural improvements. The issue has been addressed in Safari 27.2, iOS 26.7.2, iPadOS 26.7.2, iOS 27.2, iPadOS 27.2, macOS Golden Gate 27.2, and visionOS 27.2 through improved memory management protocols within the WebKit engine. Users are strongly advised to update their operating systems immediately to ensure these patches are applied. Beyond patching, developers should implement stricter reference counting mechanisms and utilize smart pointers in C++ codebases to automatically manage object lifecycles without manual intervention where possible. Additionally enabling advanced security features such as Control Flow Integrity (CFI) and Heap Sanitizers during development can help detect such issues earlier in the software lifecycle before they reach production environments. Organizations should also enforce strict content security policies for internal web applications to minimize exposure to untrusted third-party scripts that might contain similar exploit patterns.