CVE-2026-112679 in iOS
Summary
by MITRE • 10/26/2026
A use-after-free issue was addressed with improved memory management. This issue is fixed in iOS 27.2 and iPadOS 27.2, macOS Golden Gate 27.2, tvOS 27.2, visionOS 27.2, watchOS 27.2. An app may be able to cause unexpected system termination or corrupt kernel memory.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/27/2026
The vulnerability described constitutes a critical use-after-free error within the operating systems of Apple's ecosystem, specifically affecting iOS, iPadOS, macOS Golden Gate, tvOS, visionOS, and watchOS versions prior to 27.2. This class of defect is categorized under CWE-416 in the Common Weakness Enumeration standard, which defines a use-after-free condition as occurring when software continues to use memory after it has been freed or returned to the system for reuse by other processes. In this specific instance, the flaw stems from inadequate memory management practices within the kernel or core system components, where pointers to deallocated memory blocks are not properly invalidated or checked before being accessed again. This oversight allows an application that can trigger the initial allocation and subsequent free operation of a specific data structure to manipulate the state of that freed memory region while it is still referenced by active system processes.
From a technical perspective, use-after-free vulnerabilities represent one of the most dangerous classes of software defects because they provide attackers with significant control over program execution flow. When an application causes the kernel or core service to access memory that has already been released back to the heap allocator, the contents of that memory may have been overwritten by new allocations initiated by other processes or even malicious code injected by the attacker. This leads to unpredictable behavior ranging from data corruption to arbitrary code execution. The operational impact described indicates two primary consequences: unexpected system termination and kernel memory corruption. System termination typically manifests as a crash or panic, resulting in a denial of service where the device becomes unresponsive until rebooted. However, the more severe risk lies in kernel memory corruption, which can allow an unprivileged app to escalate privileges by overwriting critical kernel structures such as function pointers or security tokens, thereby gaining root-level access to the entire system.
This vulnerability aligns with several tactics and techniques within the MITRE ATT&CK framework for mobile platforms. The exploitation of this flaw likely involves privilege escalation via a local application exploiting an out-of-bounds write or use-after-free condition in kernel space, corresponding to technique T1068 Exploitation for Privilege Escalation. Furthermore, if exploited successfully to crash the system, it falls under Denial of Service (DoS) tactics, specifically targeting availability through resource exhaustion or instability caused by memory corruption. The ability to corrupt kernel memory also opens pathways for persistent backdoors or data exfiltration, as the attacker gains deep visibility into sensitive user information and system configurations that are normally protected by sandboxing mechanisms designed to isolate applications from each other and from core OS functions.
Mitigation strategies primarily rely on the deployment of the software updates provided in iOS 27.2, iPadOS 27.2, macOS Golden Gate 27.2, tvOS 27.2, visionOS 27.2, and watchOS 27.2. These patches address the root cause by implementing stricter memory management protocols, likely including enhanced pointer validation, randomized heap layouts to complicate exploitation attempts, or hardened allocator mechanisms that detect invalid access patterns. For system administrators and end-users, ensuring automatic updates are enabled is crucial to maintaining protection against such low-level kernel vulnerabilities. Additionally, developers should adhere to secure coding standards that emphasize proper lifecycle management of dynamic memory allocations, utilizing tools like AddressSanitizer during development to identify use-after-free conditions before they reach production environments. Organizations relying on these devices in enterprise or critical infrastructure contexts must prioritize patching cycles to minimize the window of exposure to potential kernel-level exploits that could compromise device integrity and user privacy.