CVE-2026-43673

7.8

Apple · iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, visionOS, watchOS

A memory corruption vulnerability in various Apple operating systems allows for potential process compromise when processing a maliciously crafted audio file.

Executive summary

A memory corruption vulnerability in Apple operating systems, including iOS and macOS, poses a high risk of total system compromise through the processing of malicious audio files.

Vulnerability

This is a memory corruption vulnerability caused by improper memory handling. An attacker can trigger this flaw by enticing a user to process a maliciously crafted audio file, which does not require prior authentication.

Business impact

The vulnerability carries a CVSS score of 7.8, reflecting its potential for total impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Successful exploitation allows an attacker to corrupt process memory, which may lead to unauthorized code execution or system instability. This poses a significant threat to organizational data security and endpoint availability for any mobile or desktop device running the affected software.

Remediation

Immediate Action: Update all affected Apple devices to the versions specified in the vendor advisory to apply the necessary memory handling improvements.

Proactive Monitoring: Review system logs for unusual crash reports or process errors associated with audio processing services.

Compensating Controls: Exercise caution when opening audio files from untrusted or unknown sources to limit the exposure window until patches are applied.

Exploitation status

Public Exploit Available: No (exploit_available: false)

Analyst recommendation

Given the severity of potential memory corruption, organizations should prioritize the deployment of the provided security updates across their mobile and desktop fleets. Administrators must ensure that all devices running the identified versions of iOS, iPadOS, and macOS are patched immediately to neutralize this threat.

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Sources