CVE-2026-65359 in iOS
Summary
by MITRE • 09/15/2026
An out-of-bounds read was addressed with improved bounds checking. This issue is fixed in iOS 26.7 and iPadOS 26.7, iOS 27 and iPadOS 27, macOS Golden Gate 27, macOS Sequoia 15.8, macOS Tahoe 26.7, tvOS 27, visionOS 27, watchOS 27. A local user may be able to cause unexpected system termination or read kernel memory.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/15/2026
The vulnerability described constitutes an out-of-bounds read condition within the operating system core components of Apple's ecosystem, specifically affecting iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, visionOS, and watchOS versions prior to the specified updates. This class of flaw is technically categorized under CWE-125, which defines Out-of-Bounds Read as a situation where software reads data past the end or before the beginning of the intended buffer. In this specific instance, the root cause lies in insufficient validation of memory access boundaries during kernel operations. When an application or process requests data from a memory region, the system failed to verify that the requested offset and length remained within the allocated limits of the target buffer. This lack of rigorous bounds checking allows the execution flow to retrieve information from adjacent memory locations that were not intended for public consumption by the calling entity.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risks regarding both confidentiality and availability. The primary impact is the potential disclosure of sensitive kernel memory contents. Kernel space holds critical system data, including security tokens, cryptographic keys, process identifiers, and other privileged information necessary for the stable operation of the device. An attacker who can trigger this flaw may be able to exfiltrate these details, leading to a severe compromise of confidentiality. Furthermore, accessing invalid or protected memory regions often triggers hardware exceptions that the operating system cannot gracefully handle in all contexts. This instability can result in unexpected system termination, effectively causing a denial of service condition where the device crashes or reboots without warning, disrupting user productivity and potentially masking other malicious activities occurring on the system.
The exploitation vector for this vulnerability is typically local, meaning an attacker must have some level of access to the affected device to trigger the flaw. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059, Command and Scripting Interpreter, or more specifically T1074, Data Staged Local, depending on how the exploit chain is constructed prior to triggering the kernel read. While local exploitation often requires higher privileges than remote attacks, it remains a critical threat because many users operate with administrative rights for software installation and configuration. The ability to crash the system also impacts availability, which falls under ATT&CK technique T1499, Endpoint Denial of Service. By causing unexpected termination, an attacker can disrupt services or create opportunities for privilege escalation if combined with other vulnerabilities that rely on specific memory states during a crash recovery phase.
Mitigation strategies focus primarily on the deployment of the provided software updates. Apple has addressed this issue by implementing improved bounds checking mechanisms within the affected components in iOS 26.7, iPadOS 26.7, iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS Golden Gate 27, macOS Sequoia 15.8, macOS Tahoe 26.7, tvOS 27, visionOS 27, and watchOS 27. These updates ensure that memory access requests are validated against the actual size of the allocated buffer before data retrieval occurs. If any request exceeds these boundaries, the system will now safely reject it or terminate the offending process in a controlled manner rather than reading arbitrary kernel memory. Organizations should prioritize patching all managed devices running affected versions to eliminate this attack surface. Additionally, enforcing strict application sandboxing policies can limit the potential impact of local exploits by restricting which processes have access to sensitive system resources, thereby reducing the likelihood that an attacker can successfully leverage this flaw even if they gain initial foothold on the device.