CVE-2026-112671 in iPadOS
Summary
by MITRE • 10/26/2026
A resource exhaustion issue was addressed with improved input validation. 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. A remote attacker may be able to cause a denial-of-service.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/26/2026
The vulnerability described constitutes a resource exhaustion flaw within Apple's operating system ecosystem, specifically affecting iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and visionOS platforms. This type of issue typically arises when an application or system service fails to properly validate the quantity, size, or complexity of input data provided by a user or external entity. Instead of rejecting malformed or excessively large inputs, the affected components proceed with processing them, leading to uncontrolled consumption of critical system resources such as memory, CPU cycles, or file descriptors. The root cause is identified as insufficient input validation, which allows an attacker to trigger conditions that deplete available resources faster than they can be reclaimed by the operating system's garbage collection or cleanup mechanisms. This aligns with CWE-400, a Common Weakness Enumeration category dedicated to uncontrolled resource consumption, where the software does not sufficiently track and limit the amount of resources allocated for any particular use.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability enables a remote attacker to induce a denial-of-service condition against targeted devices or services running on affected Apple platforms. By crafting specific requests that exploit the input validation gap, an adversary can force the system into a state where it becomes unresponsive or crashes entirely due to resource depletion. This impacts availability, one of the three core pillars of information security alongside confidentiality and integrity. In mobile environments like iOS and iPadOS, such exhaustion could lead to device freezes requiring hard resets, while in server-oriented contexts within macOS, it might disrupt critical network services or background processes essential for system stability. The ability to trigger this remotely means that no physical access or prior authentication is necessarily required, significantly increasing the attack surface and potential impact on end-users who rely on consistent uptime from their devices.
The remediation strategy implemented by Apple involves enhancing input validation routines within the affected components. By strictly defining acceptable parameters for data size, structure, and type before processing begins, the system can now reject malicious or malformed inputs early in the request lifecycle. This prevents the execution of code paths that would otherwise lead to excessive resource allocation. The fix has been deployed across multiple major releases 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. Organizations and individual users must ensure their devices are updated to these patched versions to mitigate the risk of exploitation. Regular patch management is critical in addressing such vulnerabilities before they can be leveraged by threat actors for disruptive attacks.
In terms of classification within broader security frameworks, this vulnerability maps to MITRE ATT&CK techniques related to resource hijacking or denial-of-service actions. Attackers often utilize these methods as part of larger campaigns to disrupt operations, distract defenders, or prepare the environment for further exploitation. While a simple DoS attack may seem less severe than data exfiltration, it serves as a potent tool for causing operational disruption and financial loss through downtime. Security teams should monitor network traffic for patterns indicative of resource exhaustion attempts, such as unusually high volumes of requests with large payloads directed at vulnerable services. Implementing rate limiting, input sanitization layers, and monitoring tools that detect abnormal resource usage can provide additional defense-in-depth measures against this class of vulnerability until all systems are fully patched.