CVE-2026-43778

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Use After Free in Apple iOS and macOS

Publication date: 2026-07-27

Last updated on: 2026-07-29

Assigner: Apple Inc.

Description

A use after free issue was addressed with improved memory management. This issue is fixed in iOS 26.6 and iPadOS 26.6, macOS Sequoia 15.7.8, macOS Sonoma 14.8.8, macOS Tahoe 26.6, tvOS 26.6, visionOS 26.6, watchOS 26.6. An app may be able to cause unexpected system termination or corrupt kernel memory.

CVSS Scores

EPSS Scores

Probability:
Percentile:

Meta Information

Published

2026-07-27

Last Modified

2026-07-29

Generated

2026-08-17

AI Q&A

2026-07-28

EPSS Evaluated

2026-08-16

NVD

CVE-2026-43778

EUVD

EUVD-2026-49608

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
apple	macos	From 14.0 (inc) to 14.8.8 (exc)
apple	macos	From 15.0 (inc) to 15.7.8 (exc)
apple	macos	From 26.0 (inc) to 26.6 (exc)
apple	ipados	to 26.6 (exc)
apple	iphone_os	to 26.6 (exc)
apple	tvos	to 26.6 (exc)
apple	visionos	to 26.6 (exc)
apple	watchos	to 26.6 (exc)

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE

KEV

CWE ID	Description
CWE-416	The product reuses or references memory after it has been freed. At some point afterward, the memory may be allocated again and saved in another pointer, while the original pointer references a location somewhere within the new allocation. Any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory "belongs" to the code that operates on the new pointer.

Attack-Flow Graph

Executive Summary

This is a use-after-free vulnerability caused by improper memory management. An application may free memory but continue to use it, leading to potential system crashes or kernel memory corruption. Apple patched this in multiple OS versions including iOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS.

Detection Guidance

This vulnerability is specific to Apple operating systems and requires checking the installed versions against the patched releases. Use system update commands like 'softwareupdate --list' on macOS or check Settings > General > Software Update on iOS/iPadOS to verify if your system is updated to the fixed versions (iOS 26.6, macOS Sequoia 15.7.8, etc.).

Impact Analysis

An attacker could exploit this to cause unexpected system termination or corrupt kernel memory, potentially leading to crashes, data loss, or unauthorized access. Users of affected Apple devices should update to the latest OS versions to mitigate risks.

Compliance Impact

The provided CVE data does not specify any direct impact on compliance with standards like GDPR or HIPAA. The vulnerability involves a use-after-free issue that could lead to system termination or kernel memory corruption, but no details are given about data exposure or privacy implications.

Mitigation Strategies

Immediately update affected Apple devices to the latest versions: iOS 26.6, iPadOS 26.6, macOS Sequoia 15.7.8, macOS Sonoma 14.8.8, macOS Tahoe 26.6, tvOS 26.6, visionOS 26.6, or watchOS 26.6. Enable automatic updates if not already configured to ensure future patches are applied.

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