CVE-2026-43724: The issue was addressed with improved input sanitization

Synopsis

This is a critical input sanitization vulnerability affecting Apple iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. It is reachable over the network with no authentication required, meaning any app running on an affected device can trigger the flaw without user interaction. Successful exploitation allows an attacker to write to kernel memory or cause unexpected system termination, enabling privilege escalation or full device compromise. A patched-image rebuild at version 26.5.2 is available on HarborGuard for environments running affected versions.

HarborGuard Coverage

Exploit Conditions

• Network reachabilityRequired

  The vulnerability is reachable over the network; an attacker must be able to reach the affected service or device across the internet or an internal network.

• AuthenticationNot required

  No credentials or account are needed to trigger the vulnerability; an unauthenticated attacker can exploit it directly.

• Victim interactionNot required

  No user action such as clicking a link or opening a file is required for exploitation to succeed.

• Attack complexityDetail

  Attack complexity is low, meaning the exploit is reliable and does not depend on race conditions, specific memory layouts, or other hard-to-control environmental factors.

Blast Radius

• A successful attacker writes arbitrary data to kernel memory, enabling privilege escalation to kernel-level code execution on the affected device.
• The attacker can cause unexpected system termination, crashing the affected iOS, iPadOS, or macOS host and disrupting all running services.
• Kernel-level access exposes all data stored or processed on the device, including credentials, session tokens, and application data.
• Full integrity of the operating system is compromised, allowing the attacker to modify or destroy any persisted data or system state.