Apple iOS/iPadOS up to 26.2 Photo access control

CVSS Meta Temp Score
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Current Exploit Price (≈)
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CTI Interest Score
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3.0$0-$5k0.00

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability has been found in Apple iOS and iPadOS up to 26.2 and classified as critical. Affected by this vulnerability is an unknown functionality of the component Photo Handler. The manipulation leads to access control. This vulnerability is traded as CVE-2026-20642. It is possible to launch the attack on the physical device. There is no exploit available. The affected component should be upgraded.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability, which was classified as critical, has been found in Apple iOS and iPadOS up to 26.2. This issue affects an unknown part of the component Photo Handler. The manipulation with an unknown input leads to a access control vulnerability. Using CWE to declare the problem leads to CWE-284. The product does not restrict or incorrectly restricts access to a resource from an unauthorized actor. Impacted is confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The summary by CVE is:

An input validation issue was addressed. This issue is fixed in iOS 26.3 and iPadOS 26.3. A person with physical access to an iOS device may be able to access photos from the lock screen.

It is possible to read the advisory at support.apple.com. The identification of this vulnerability is CVE-2026-20642 since 11/11/2025. The exploitation is known to be easy. Attacking locally is a requirement. No form of authentication is needed for a successful exploitation. The technical details are unknown and an exploit is not publicly available. The pricing for an exploit might be around USD $0-$5k at the moment (estimation calculated on 02/19/2026). The attack technique deployed by this issue is T1068 according to MITRE ATT&CK.

Upgrading to version 26.3 eliminates this vulnerability.

Be aware that VulDB is the high quality source for vulnerability data.

Productinfo

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Vendor

Name

Version

License

Website

CPE 2.3info

CPE 2.2info

CVSSv4info

VulDB Vector: 🔒
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

CVSSv3info

VulDB Meta Base Score: 3.0
VulDB Meta Temp Score: 3.0

VulDB Base Score: 4.3
VulDB Temp Score: 4.1
VulDB Vector: 🔒
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

NVD Base Score: 2.4
NVD Vector: 🔒

ADP CISA Base Score: 2.4
ADP CISA Vector: 🔒

CVSSv2info

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VectorComplexityAuthenticationConfidentialityIntegrityAvailability
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VulDB Base Score: 🔒
VulDB Temp Score: 🔒
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

Exploitinginfo

Class: Access control
CWE: CWE-284 / CWE-266
CAPEC: 🔒
ATT&CK: 🔒

Physical: Yes
Local: Yes
Remote: No

Availability: 🔒
Status: Not defined

EPSS Score: 🔒
EPSS Percentile: 🔒

Price Prediction: 🔍
Current Price Estimation: 🔒

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Threat Intelligenceinfo

Interest: 🔍
Active Actors: 🔍
Active APT Groups: 🔍

Countermeasuresinfo

Recommended: Upgrade
Status: 🔍

0-Day Time: 🔒

Upgrade: iOS/iPadOS 26.3

Timelineinfo

11/11/2025 CVE reserved
02/12/2026 +93 days Advisory disclosed
02/12/2026 +0 days VulDB entry created
02/19/2026 +7 days VulDB entry last update

Sourcesinfo

Vendor: apple.com

Advisory: support.apple.com
Status: Confirmed

CVE: CVE-2026-20642 (🔒)
GCVE (CVE): GCVE-0-2026-20642
GCVE (VulDB): GCVE-100-345719
scip Labs: https://www.scip.ch/en/?labs.20150917

Entryinfo

Created: 02/12/2026 06:51
Updated: 02/19/2026 03:40
Changes: 02/12/2026 06:51 (57), 02/17/2026 15:52 (11), 02/19/2026 03:40 (11)
Complete: 🔍
Cache ID: 216::103

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