CVE-2026-64782 in iOS
Summary
by MITRE • 08/18/2026
A memory corruption vulnerability was addressed with improved locking. This issue is fixed in iOS 18.7.10 and iPadOS 18.7.10, iOS 26.6.1 and iPadOS 26.6.1, macOS Tahoe 26.6.2. Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to an unexpected Safari crash.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/18/2026
The vulnerability described involves a memory corruption flaw within the Safari browser engine, specifically related to improper handling of locking mechanisms during concurrent operations. Memory corruption issues are among the most critical classes of software defects because they can destabilize application execution and potentially allow for arbitrary code execution if exploited correctly. In this specific instance, the root cause is attributed to race conditions or insufficient synchronization primitives when processing web content that triggers complex rendering or scripting paths. The fix implemented by Apple involves strengthening these locking mechanisms to ensure thread safety and prevent data races that lead to heap corruption or stack overflow scenarios. This type of defect typically arises in high-performance browsers where multiple threads interact with shared memory structures representing the Document Object Model, layout trees, or JavaScript execution contexts without adequate mutual exclusion controls.
From a technical perspective, this flaw aligns closely with CWE-362, which describes concurrent execution using shared resources with improper synchronization. When an attacker crafts malicious web content designed to exploit these race conditions, they can manipulate the timing of thread operations to corrupt memory structures that are not properly locked during critical updates. This corruption manifests as a crash in Safari, indicating that the application encountered an invalid state or accessed freed memory regions. While the immediate observable impact is a denial of service through unexpected termination of the browser process, such vulnerabilities often serve as stepping stones for more severe exploits. In many cases, memory corruption bugs can be chained with other techniques to achieve arbitrary code execution, although in this specific report, the primary emphasis appears to be on stability and crash prevention rather than full remote code execution capabilities.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is primarily a denial of service against users who visit maliciously crafted websites or open emails containing embedded web content that triggers the flaw. For enterprise environments relying on Safari for internal applications or secure browsing, such crashes can disrupt productivity and potentially expose sensitive data if session cookies are lost during unexpected termination. Furthermore, repeated exploitation attempts could be used to perform denial-of-service attacks against specific services hosted via web technologies within iOS and macOS ecosystems. The vulnerability affects multiple platforms including iOS 18.7.10, iPadOS 18.7.10, iOS 26.6.1, iPadOS 26.6.1, and macOS Tahoe 26.6.2, indicating a widespread impact across Apple's mobile and desktop operating systems due to shared browser engine components like WebKit.
In terms of threat intelligence frameworks, this vulnerability can be mapped to the MITRE ATT&CK technique T1499, Endpoint Denial of Service, specifically under the sub-technique for application exhaustion or crash-based denial of service. It also relates to initial access vectors where attackers might use malicious web content as a lure to trigger instability in target devices. Although no direct code execution is confirmed in this specific advisory, security professionals should treat memory corruption vulnerabilities with high severity due to their potential for escalation. The inclusion of improved locking mechanisms suggests that the vulnerability was likely triggered by concurrent requests or asynchronous JavaScript execution patterns common in modern web applications.
To mitigate the risk associated with this vulnerability, organizations and individual users must ensure that all affected devices are updated to the specified patched versions: iOS 18.7.10, iPadOS 18.7.10, iOS 26.6.1, iPadOS 26.6.1, or macOS Tahoe 26.6.2. Delaying updates leaves systems exposed to potential exploitation by automated scanning tools that target known memory corruption flaws in popular browsers. Additionally, implementing network-level controls such as web content filtering can help block access to domains hosting malicious payloads designed to trigger this specific race condition. Security teams should also monitor for unusual browser crash reports or increased system instability on devices running older versions of the operating systems listed above. Regular patch management cycles are essential to address these types of low-to-medium complexity vulnerabilities before they become widely exploited in the wild, ensuring both user privacy and system integrity remain intact against evolving web-based attack vectors.