CVE-2026-20642

Lock-screen photo access via improper input validation

Published Feb 11, 2026 · Updated Feb 11, 2026

Improper input validation in Photos in Apple iOS and iPadOS before 26.3 allows physically proximate attackers to access photos from the lock screen. Apple has not published which Photos input reaches the deficient validation or what operation accepts it. Exploitation requires physical access to a locked supported iPhone or iPad and exposes stored photos without unlocking the device.

CVSS severity2.4
Low
EPSS probability0.14%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
Coverage for this vulnerability

See if you're affected

Explore vulnerability checks for your environment with Hinoki.

Book a demo

Summary

What happened

Improper input validation in Photos in Apple iOS and iPadOS before 26.3 allows physically proximate attackers to access photos from the lock screen. Apple has not published which Photos input reaches the deficient validation or what operation accepts it. Exploitation requires physical access to a locked supported iPhone or iPad and exposes stored photos without unlocking the device.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-20642
Published
Feb 11, 2026
Updated
Feb 11, 2026
Vendor
Apple
Product
iOS and iPadOS
Classifications
CWE-284, T1461
Attack vector
physical
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Feb 11, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Feb 11, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.

Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=unspecified <26.3

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorphysical
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

Apple · iOS and iPadOSversion=unspecified <26.3

Published CVSS scores

2.4NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
2.4CISA-ADPCVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorphysical
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-284Improper Access Control
T1461Lockscreen Bypass

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

See the directory against your own environment.

Your stack

Check the software in your environment

Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.

Book a demo