Kernel-memory writes via IOKit race condition
Published Jul 27, 2026 · Updated Jul 27, 2026
A race condition in IOKit in iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and watchOS allows local users to terminate the system or write kernel memory. Apple identifies improved state handling as the correction but has not disclosed the shared state, competing operations, or timing window that permits the race. Exploitation requires an app to execute on an affected device; the documented consequence is either a system crash or a kernel-memory write, without a vendor claim of code execution.
Summary
What happened
A race condition in IOKit in iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and watchOS allows local users to terminate the system or write kernel memory. Apple identifies improved state handling as the correction but has not disclosed the shared state, competing operations, or timing window that permits the race. Exploitation requires an app to execute on an affected device; the documented consequence is either a system crash or a kernel-memory write, without a vendor claim of code execution.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-43805
- Published
- Jul 27, 2026
- Updated
- Jul 27, 2026
- Vendor
- Apple
- Product
- iOS and iPadOS
- Classifications
- CWE-362, T1499.004
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- Unavailable
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jul 27, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Jul 27, 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.
- Affected versionversion=0 <26.6
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.
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