CVE-2026-20617: Use After Free

Published Feb 11, 2026
·
Updated

A race condition was addressed with improved state handling. This issue is fixed in iOS 26.3 and iPadOS 26.3, macOS Sonoma 14.8.4, macOS Tahoe 26.3, tvOS 26.3, visionOS 26.3, watchOS 26.3. An app may be able to gain root privileges.

Other sources

Accessibility. A privacy issue was addressed by removing sensitive data.

— Apple

Accessibility. An inconsistent user interface issue was addressed with improved state management.

— Apple

Admin Framework. A parsing issue in the handling of directory paths was addressed with improved path validation.

— Apple

AppleEvents. An authorization issue was addressed with improved state management.

— Apple

AppleKeyStore. A use after free issue was addressed with improved memory management.

— Apple

Credit

Johnny Franks (zeroxjf), an anonymous researcher, jioundai, Anonymous(Trend Micro Zero Day Initiative), Yiğit Can YILMAZ@@yilmazcanyigit, Golden Helm Securities(Iru), Gergely Kalman@@gergely_kalman(Iru), Csaba Fitzl@@theevilbit(Iru), Google Threat Analysis Group, Asaf Cohen, George Karchemsky@@gkarchemsky(Trend Micro Zero Day Initiative), Jian Lee@@speedyfriend433, Xin'an Zhou, Juefei Pu, Zhutian Liu, Zhiyun Qian, Zhaowei Tan, Srikanth V. Krishnamurthy, Mathy Vanhoef, CVE-2025-59375, Noah Gregory (wts.dev), Gongyu Ma@@Mezone0, EntryHi, Wong Wee Xiang, Loh Boon Keat, Jacob Prezant (prezant.us), Nils Hanff @chaos.social)@@nils1729(Hasso Plattner Institute), Amy (amys.website), Atul Kishor Jaiswal, Gergely Kalman@@gergely_kalman, Kirin@@Pwnrin, Keisuke Hosoda, Zhongcheng Li(IES Red Team), Richard Hyunho Im at Route Zero Security (routezero.security)@@richeeta, Ron Masas(BreakPoint), Rodolphe Brunetti@@eisw0lf(Lupus Nova), Dalibor Milanovic, Óscar García Pérez, Stanislav Jelezoglo, Viktor Lord Härringtón, Enis Maholli (enismaholli.com), LeminLimez, Nathaniel Oh@@calysteon, HanQing(TSDubhe), Nan Wang@@eternalsakura13, Tom Van Goethem, Wang Yu(Cyberserval), Mickey Jin@@patch1t, Ryan Dowd@@_rdowd, Ron Elemans, Murray Mike, 이동하 (Lee Dong Ha)(SSA Lab), Chunyu Song(NorthSea), Michael DePlante@@izobashi(Trend Micro Zero Day Initiative), Bing Shi(Alibaba Group), Wenchao Li(Alibaba Group), Xiaolong Bai(Alibaba Group), (Indiana University Bloomington), Luyi Xing(Indiana University Bloomington), @@cloudlldb, Kirin@@Pwnrin(Fudan University), LFY@@secsys(Fudan University), Pwn2car, Morris Richman@@morrisinlife, Vivek Dhar, ASI (RM) in Border Security Force, FTR HQ BSF Kashmir

Affected Software

14 affected componentsFixes available
Apple visionOS<26.3
26.3
Apple iOS<26.3
26.3
Apple iPadOS<26.3
26.3
Apple macOS Tahoe<26.3
26.3
Apple tvOS<26.3
26.3
Apple WatchOS<26.3
26.3
Apple macOS Sonoma<14.8.4
14.8.4
Apple iPadOS<26.3
Apple iPhone OS<26.3
Apple macOS>=14.0<14.8.4
Apple macOS>=26.0<26.3
Apple tvOS<26.3
Apple visionOS<26.3
Apple WatchOS<26.3

Event History

Feb 11, 2026
Data Sourced
via Apple·12:00 AM
DescriptionWeaknessAffected Software
Updated
via Apple·12:00 AM
DescriptionWeakness
Updated
via Apple·12:00 AM
Affected Software
Updated
via Apple·12:00 AM
DescriptionWeaknessAffected Software
CVE Published
via MITRE·10:58 PM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·10:58 PM
DescriptionWeakness
Data Sourced
via NVD·11:16 PM
DescriptionSeverityWeaknessAffected Software

Parent advisories

This vulnerability appears in the following advisories.

Peer vulnerabilities

Found alongside the following vulnerabilities.

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Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of CVE-2026-20617?

CVE-2026-20617 is classified as a high severity vulnerability due to its potential to allow apps to gain root privileges.

2

How do I fix CVE-2026-20617?

To fix CVE-2026-20617, update your device to the latest version, which is 26.3 for various Apple platforms.

3

Which devices are affected by CVE-2026-20617?

CVE-2026-20617 affects devices running visionOS, iOS, iPadOS, macOS Tahoe, tvOS, watchOS, and macOS Sonoma prior to their respective remedied versions.

4

What does CVE-2026-20617 exploit?

CVE-2026-20617 exploits a race condition that allows unauthorized privilege escalation.

5

Is CVE-2026-20617 related to privacy issues?

Yes, CVE-2026-20617 was linked to a privacy issue where sensitive data handling could be compromised.

Company

Resources

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