CVE-2026-28960 in iOS
Summary
by MITRE • 09/14/2026
A denial-of-service issue was addressed with improved validation. This issue is fixed in iOS 18.7.10 and iPadOS 18.7.10. A remote attacker may be able to cause a denial-of-service.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/14/2026
The reported vulnerability represents a classic denial of service condition arising from insufficient input validation within the operating system's core processing logic, specifically affecting iOS and iPadOS versions prior to 18.7.10. In this scenario, the flaw is triggered by a remote attacker who can interact with the affected component over a network connection without requiring authentication or user interaction beyond initiating the malicious request. The root cause lies in the application's failure to properly validate incoming data structures or command sequences before processing them, allowing malformed or excessively large inputs to bypass expected boundaries and constraints. This lack of rigorous validation enables an attacker to exploit the system's resource management mechanisms, leading to a state where the device becomes unresponsive or crashes entirely due to exhaustion of critical resources such as memory, CPU cycles, or network buffers.
From a technical perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-20 Improper Input Validation and potentially CWE-400 Resource Exhaustion if the exploitation leads to resource depletion. The attack vector is classified under MITRE ATT&CK technique T1499 Endpoint Denial of Service, which encompasses methods used by adversaries to disrupt or deny service to specific targets on a network. By sending specially crafted packets or requests that trigger infinite loops, memory leaks, or stack overflows within the affected subsystems, an attacker can effectively render the iOS or iPadOS device unusable for legitimate users. This type of exploitation is particularly concerning in mobile environments where devices are often used for critical communications and access to sensitive information, making availability a paramount security requirement alongside confidentiality and integrity.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple inconvenience; it compromises the reliability and trustworthiness of the mobile platform. For enterprise or government users relying on these devices for secure communication, a successful denial-of-service attack can disrupt critical workflows, prevent access to encrypted channels, or serve as a distraction technique while other malicious activities are conducted elsewhere in the network infrastructure. Furthermore, repeated exploitation attempts could lead to hardware wear or battery degradation due to sustained high-load states induced by the exploit code. The ability of a remote attacker to trigger this condition without prior compromise highlights a significant gap in the system's resilience against automated scanning and opportunistic attacks that target known vulnerabilities in widely deployed software versions.
Mitigation for this issue is straightforward and relies on timely patch management. Apple has addressed the flaw through improved validation routines within iOS 18.7.10 and iPadOS 18.7.10, which enforce stricter checks on input data to prevent malformed requests from causing system instability. Organizations and individual users must ensure that their devices are updated to these patched versions as soon as possible to eliminate the attack surface. In addition to applying updates, administrators should implement network-level controls such as rate limiting and intrusion detection systems to monitor for anomalous traffic patterns indicative of denial-of-service attempts. Regular security audits and adherence to mobile device management best practices further reduce the risk associated with unpatched vulnerabilities in production environments.