CVE-2026-86881

Arbitrary certificate usages via compromised intermediate CA

Published Sep 14, 2026 · Updated Sep 14, 2026

Certificate validation in Apple operating systems before the listed fixed releases allows attackers to issue certificates with arbitrary extended key usages. Apple identifies certificate validation as the locus but does not disclose which trust check mishandles the usage constraints of a compromised intermediate CA. Exploitation requires control of an intermediate CA and makes certificates usable for purposes beyond the authority intended; no broader impact is documented.

CVSS severityUnavailable
Unscored
EPSS probability0.14%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Certificate validation in Apple operating systems before the listed fixed releases allows attackers to issue certificates with arbitrary extended key usages. Apple identifies certificate validation as the locus but does not disclose which trust check mishandles the usage constraints of a compromised intermediate CA. Exploitation requires control of an intermediate CA and makes certificates usable for purposes beyond the authority intended; no broader impact is documented.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-86881
Published
Sep 14, 2026
Updated
Sep 14, 2026
Vendor
Apple
Product
iOS and iPadOS
Classifications
T1588.004
Attack vector
Unavailable
Privileges
Unavailable

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Sep 14, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Sep 14, 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=0 <26.7
  2. Affected versionversion=0 <27

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorUnavailable in this record.
Required privilegesUnavailable in this record.

What is affected?

Apple · iOS and iPadOSversion=0 <26.7; version=0 <27
Apple · visionOSversion=0 <27
Apple · tvOSversion=0 <27
Apple · macOSversion=0 <15.8; version=0 <26.7; version=0 <27
Apple · watchOSversion=0 <27

Published CVSS scores

No CVSS assessment is available in this record.

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)
VectorUnavailable
PrivilegesUnavailable
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

T1588.004Obtain Capabilities: Digital Certificates

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

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Your stack

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