Service interruption via CoreUtils null pointer dereference
Published Mar 25, 2026 · Updated Mar 25, 2026
Denial of service in CoreUtils in affected Apple operating systems allows remote attackers to cause a service interrupt. CoreUtils dereferences a null pointer after insufficient input validation, but Apple has not disclosed the triggering input or protocol path. Exploitation requires a privileged network position and affects availability only; Apple does not state whether the result is a process crash or broader system interruption.
Summary
What happened
Denial of service in CoreUtils in affected Apple operating systems allows remote attackers to cause a service interrupt. CoreUtils dereferences a null pointer after insufficient input validation, but Apple has not disclosed the triggering input or protocol path. Exploitation requires a privileged network position and affects availability only; Apple does not state whether the result is a process crash or broader system interruption.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-28886
- Published
- Mar 25, 2026
- Updated
- Mar 25, 2026
- Vendor
- Apple
- Product
- iOS and iPadOS
- Classifications
- CWE-476, T1499.004
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Mar 25, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Mar 25, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=0 <18.7.7
- Affected versionversion=0 <26.4
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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