CVE-2026-86893 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, tvOS 27, visionOS 27, watchOS 27. An app may be able to read device name.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/15/2026
The vulnerability described involves a permissions misconfiguration within the operating system that allows applications to access sensitive device metadata without proper authorization. Specifically, this flaw enables an unauthorized application to retrieve the user-assigned device name from iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, visionOS, and watchOS environments. In modern mobile ecosystems, the device name is often treated as personally identifiable information or at least as private system data that should be restricted to privileged processes or explicitly authorized applications with specific entitlements. The failure to enforce these restrictions represents a significant lapse in access control mechanisms, allowing any installed app to query this attribute regardless of its declared purpose or required permissions.
From a technical perspective, this issue falls under the category of improper privilege management and unauthorized information disclosure. It aligns closely with CWE-269, which describes Improper Privilege Context, as well as CWE-770, Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling if the retrieval causes performance issues, but more accurately maps to CWE-284, Improper Access Control, and CWE-1385, Identification Information Exposure. The core flaw lies in the system's failure to validate whether an application has a legitimate business need for this specific piece of data before granting access. This type of vulnerability is often exploited during reconnaissance phases where attackers gather information about the target environment to tailor subsequent attacks or to correlate device identities across different services and platforms.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privacy concerns. By obtaining the device name, an attacker can potentially link a specific compromised application instance to a physical user's identity if that name contains personal details such as names, locations, or organizational identifiers. This information can be used for social engineering attacks, targeted phishing campaigns, or fingerprinting devices to bypass security controls that rely on unique but static identifiers. Furthermore, in enterprise environments where device naming conventions are standardized, this data leak could reveal internal network structures, departmental assignments, or the presence of specific hardware models, aiding adversaries in planning more sophisticated intrusions against high-value targets within an organization.
Mitigation strategies primarily involve patching to the latest available versions of iOS 27 and iPadOS 27, tvOS 27, visionOS 27, and watchOS 27 where this issue has been addressed by Apple through additional restrictions on system APIs. For developers, it is critical to ensure that applications do not request unnecessary permissions or attempt to access sensitive device attributes unless explicitly required for core functionality. Security teams should monitor application behavior using mobile threat defense solutions capable of detecting unauthorized data exfiltration attempts. Additionally, users are advised to avoid assigning personally identifiable information in their device names and to regularly update their operating systems to ensure that known permission bypasses are closed. This incident underscores the importance of strict adherence to least privilege principles in mobile OS design and application development practices.