Cyber Resilience

CVE-2026-28873

Access Control in Apple Ipados ≤ 18.7.9

Published
11 May 2026
Modified
17 June 2026
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 7.5
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
EPSS Score 0.0031 23th percentile
Risk Priority 55 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2026-28873 is a high-severity Incorrect Authorization (CWE-863) vulnerability in Apple Ipados. Its CVSS base score is 7.5 (High).

Operationally, ranked at the 23th 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 AC-3 (Access Enforcement) and AC-6 (Least Privilege) — see the control section below for these in your framework.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

This issue was addressed with additional entitlement checks. This issue is fixed in iOS 18.7.9 and iPadOS 18.7.9, iOS 26.4 and iPadOS 26.4. An app may be able to circumvent App Privacy Report logging.

CWE(s)

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI

Insufficient information to map techniques.
Confidence: LOW · MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise v19.0

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2025-24141Same product: Apple Ipados
CVE-2025-30469Same product: Apple Ipados
CVE-2025-24200Same product: Apple Ipados
CVE-2025-31227Same product: Apple Ipados
CVE-2024-44217Same product: Apple Ipados
CVE-2024-44136Same product: Apple Ipados
CVE-2024-54488Same product: Apple Ipados
CVE-2024-54512Same product: Apple Ipados
CVE-2025-31254Same product: Apple Ipados
CVE-2026-28951Same product: Apple Ipados

Affected Assets

apple
ipados
≤ 18.7.9 · 26.0 — 26.4
apple
iphone os
≤ 18.7.9 · 26.0 — 26.4

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)
  • AC-3 Access Enforcement
  • AC-6 Least Privilege
Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)
  • AU-12 Audit Record Generation
Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)
  • 5 hardening rules · 3 OS baselines
Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

prevent

Directly enforces entitlement-based authorization decisions so an app cannot bypass App Privacy Report logging checks.

prevent

Restricts app privileges to only those entitlements explicitly granted, limiting the ability to circumvent privacy logging.

detect

Ensures reliable generation of audit records for sensitive data access even if an app attempts to evade the privacy report mechanism.

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.

PR.AA-05 mostly match
prevents

Defining, enforcing, and reviewing access authorizations and least privilege directly prevents incorrect authorization checks.

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.

prevents

Requiring consistency between access rights and classification plus formal approval steps ensures that the authorization logic correctly distinguishes between entities that should and should not be granted access.

prevents

Enforcing policy-driven approval and role-change reviews stops incorrect or stale authorization decisions from remaining in effect after job changes or terminations.

prevents

By tying access rights to identity, device, location and classification, the control reduces the likelihood that an authorization decision will be based on an incorrect or bypassed policy.

References