Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HSummary
CVE-2026-20698 is a high-severity Out-of-bounds Write (CWE-787) vulnerability in Apple Ipados. Its CVSS base score is 7.8 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploitation for Privilege Escalation (T1068); ranked at the 25th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SA-11 (Developer Testing and Evaluation) and SA-15 (Development Process, Standards, and Tools) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
CVE-2026-20698 is a memory handling vulnerability associated with CWE-787 (Out-of-bounds Write) and CWE-119 (Buffer Overflow), affecting Apple's iOS and iPadOS prior to version 26.4, macOS Tahoe prior to 26.4, tvOS prior to 26.4, visionOS prior to 26.4, and watchOS prior to 26.4. The issue enables an app to cause unexpected system termination or corrupt kernel memory, as rated at CVSS 7.8 (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).
A local attacker with low privileges, such as one running a malicious app on the device, can exploit this vulnerability with low complexity and no user interaction required. Successful exploitation could result in high-impact denial of service through system crashes or kernel memory corruption, potentially serving as a foundation for privilege escalation or other kernel-level attacks.
Apple's advisories indicate the vulnerability was addressed via improved memory handling in the specified 26.4 updates across affected platforms. Mitigation requires applying these patches promptly, with further details available in security content updates such as https://support.apple.com/en-us/126792, https://support.apple.com/en-us/126794, https://support.apple.com/en-us/126797, https://support.apple.com/en-us/126798, and https://support.apple.com/en-us/126799.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2026-15073
Vulnerability Data
The issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in iOS 26.4 and iPadOS 26.4, macOS Tahoe 26.4, tvOS 26.4, visionOS 26.4, watchOS 26.4. An app may be able to cause unexpected system termination or corrupt kernel…
more
memory.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
—
—
—
V17.3.2
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Developer testing and evaluation (including fuzzing and bounds checks) finds out-of-bounds write flaws before deployment.
Requiring documented secure-development standards and tools can mandate bounds-checked coding practices that avoid the weakness.
Secure engineering principles require memory-safe design and coding that structurally avoids buffer-boundary violations.
Input validation can structurally reject or sanitize data that would otherwise trigger an out-of-bounds write.
Memory-protection mechanisms limit the exploitability and blast radius of a successful out-of-bounds write.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Secure-development practices (static analysis, bounds checking, code review) are the primary means of preventing out-of-bounds writes.
Vulnerability scanning and recording can discover out-of-bounds write flaws so they can be remediated.
Receiving and triaging vulnerability disclosures commonly includes buffer-related reports.
Developer training on secure coding reduces introduction of memory-buffer errors.
Patching or replacing vulnerable software directly eliminates known instances of this coding weakness.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Security testing in development and acceptance can detect and prevent out-of-bounds write defects.
Secure development life cycle mandates practices that prevent out-of-bounds writes.
Application security requirements can specify bounds-checking and safe memory handling.
Secure architecture and engineering principles reduce the likelihood of buffer overflows.
Secure coding directly addresses out-of-bounds writes through language choice and coding standards.
Change management can enforce review gates that catch unsafe memory operations before deployment.