CVE-2026-64771 in iOS
Summary
by MITRE • 07/28/2026
A buffer overflow was addressed with improved bounds checking. This issue is fixed in iOS 26.6 and iPadOS 26.6, macOS Sequoia 15.7.8, macOS Tahoe 26.6, tvOS 26.6, visionOS 26.6. A remote attacker may be able to cause unexpected application termination or heap corruption.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/28/2026
This vulnerability represents a classic buffer overflow condition that was remediated through enhanced bounds checking mechanisms within Apple's operating systems. The flaw existed in the foundational memory management controls that govern how applications handle data buffers during execution. When applications process input data without proper boundary validation, they become susceptible to overwriting adjacent memory locations, creating potential exploitation vectors for malicious actors. The issue affected multiple Apple platforms including iOS, iPadOS, macOS variants, tvOS, and visionOS, demonstrating the widespread nature of the underlying memory safety concern.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation routines that fail to properly verify buffer limits during data processing operations. When an application receives external input or data streams, it typically allocates a fixed-size buffer in memory to accommodate the expected data. However, without robust bounds checking mechanisms, malicious input can exceed these allocated boundaries, causing adjacent memory regions to be overwritten with unexpected data patterns. This condition can manifest as heap corruption when the overflow extends into dynamically allocated memory segments used for application state management.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risk to system stability and security posture across Apple's ecosystem. A remote attacker exploiting this condition could potentially cause arbitrary application termination by overwriting critical control structures or memory pointers, leading to denial of service scenarios that disrupt legitimate user operations. More concerning is the potential for heap corruption that could enable more sophisticated exploitation techniques, including code execution or privilege escalation attacks. The remote nature of this vulnerability means attackers do not require physical access or local privileges to attempt exploitation, making it particularly dangerous in networked environments.
The remediation approach implemented by Apple focused on strengthening bounds checking mechanisms throughout the system's memory management stack. This typically involves implementing additional validation routines that verify input data lengths against allocated buffer sizes before processing operations commence. The fixes included updates to kernel-level memory management components and application runtime libraries that enforce stricter boundary controls on all data handling operations. These improvements align with common vulnerability mitigation strategies outlined in the CWE database under category 129 which addresses "Improper Validation of Array Index" and related buffer overflow conditions.
Security practitioners should note that this vulnerability represents a fundamental memory safety issue that commonly appears in systems lacking comprehensive input validation controls. The remediation timeline across multiple Apple platforms demonstrates the importance of coordinated patch management strategies for maintaining system integrity. Organizations should prioritize immediate deployment of these security updates to prevent potential exploitation attempts, particularly in environments where remote access capabilities exist or where sensitive data processing occurs. The fix addresses a core weakness in how applications manage memory allocation and data processing, providing protection against both accidental crashes and intentional exploitation attempts that could compromise system availability and data integrity.
The vulnerability's classification aligns with ATT&CK framework techniques related to privilege escalation and denial of service operations, specifically mapping to T1499 for resource hijacking and T1059 for command and scripting interpreter usage. Organizations implementing security monitoring should focus on detecting unusual application termination patterns or memory allocation anomalies that could indicate exploitation attempts. The remediation approach provides defense-in-depth protection against similar vulnerabilities that may exist in other system components or third-party applications that rely on similar memory management patterns, emphasizing the importance of comprehensive vulnerability management programs across all system elements.