CVE-2026-86888 in iPadOS
Summary
by MITRE • 09/15/2026
A permissions issue was addressed with additional restrictions. This issue is fixed in iOS 27 and iPadOS 27, macOS Golden Gate 27, macOS Tahoe 26.7, tvOS 27, visionOS 27, watchOS 27. A local app may be able to read a persistent account identifier.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/15/2026
The disclosed vulnerability represents a critical failure in access control mechanisms within Apple's operating system ecosystem, specifically affecting iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, visionOS, and watchOS versions prior to the specified updates. This issue is classified under CWE-284 Improper Access Control, where an application fails to properly restrict its ability to read or modify data belonging to other entities within the same device environment. The core technical flaw lies in the insufficient validation of permissions when a local app attempts to access persistent account identifiers associated with user accounts on the system. In modern mobile and desktop operating systems, such identifiers are often used for cross-app tracking, analytics, and personalized advertising purposes. While these identifiers can be legitimate tools for developers, their exposure due to poor sandboxing or permission checks allows any installed application to harvest them without explicit user consent or proper authorization boundaries.
From an operational perspective, the ability of a local app to read persistent account identifiers poses significant privacy risks to end-users. These identifiers are typically designed to remain consistent across sessions and applications, enabling long-term profiling of user behavior. If such data is accessible to unauthorized apps, it facilitates detailed surveillance of user activities, potentially linking disparate actions performed in different applications back to a single individual identity. This undermines the principle of least privilege and compromises the integrity of the device's security model by allowing low-privilege processes to extract sensitive contextual information that should remain isolated within specific app boundaries or system services. The impact extends beyond mere data leakage; it erodes user trust in the platform's ability to protect personal information against internal threats originating from other installed software.
This vulnerability aligns with MITRE ATT&CK technique T1078 Valid Accounts, as attackers could leverage compromised or malicious local applications to impersonate legitimate system entities by harvesting these identifiers for further exploitation phases such as session hijacking or targeted phishing campaigns. Additionally, it relates to CWE-200 Information Exposure, where sensitive information is made available to unauthorized actors without the intent of doing so. The fix implemented in iOS 27 and iPadOS 27, macOS Golden Gate 27, macOS Tahoe 26.7, tvOS 27, visionOS 27, and watchOS 27 involves tightening these permission restrictions to ensure that access to persistent account identifiers is strictly limited to authorized system components or apps with explicit user-granted permissions for such specific data types.
To mitigate the risks associated with this vulnerability, users must immediately update their devices to the latest available software versions provided by Apple. These updates contain the necessary code changes to enforce stricter access controls and prevent unauthorized local applications from querying persistent account identifiers. For enterprise environments, it is advisable to review app distribution policies and utilize mobile device management solutions that restrict the installation of untrusted or unsigned applications which might attempt to exploit such flaws. Furthermore, developers should adhere to privacy best practices by requesting only the minimum necessary permissions and ensuring their apps do not rely on accessing system-level identifiers unless absolutely required for core functionality, thereby reducing the attack surface available to potential adversaries seeking to harvest user data through local privilege escalation or sandbox escape techniques.