Executive brief
A security vulnerability has been identified in several Apple operating systems, including iOS, macOS, and watchOS. An attacker located on the same Wi-Fi network as a target device could send specially crafted wireless packets to crash the system. This results in a denial-of-service, potentially disrupting business operations or personal use by forcing devices to restart or become unresponsive.
Technical details
A use-after-free vulnerability exists in multiple Apple operating systems due to improper memory management during the processing of Wi-Fi packets. An attacker in a privileged network position (adjacent/local network) can exploit this by transmitting specially crafted Wi-Fi packets to a vulnerable device. Successful exploitation leads to a denial-of-service (DoS) condition, typically manifesting as a system crash or unexpected termination. The issue was addressed by improving memory management logic across affected platforms, including iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS.
Affected products
- Apple iOS < 18.7.9, < 26.5
- Apple iPadOS < 18.7.9, < 26.5
- Apple macOS Sequoia < 15.7.7
- Apple macOS Sonoma < 14.8.7
- Apple macOS Tahoe < 26.5
- Apple tvOS < 26.5
- Apple watchOS < 26.5
Timeline
- 2026-05-11: disclosed
- 2026-05-11: patched