Buffer overflow in macOS - CVE-2026-86972
Published: October 27, 2026
Vulnerability identifier: #VU158000
CSH Severity: High
CVSS v4: 8.4 [CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N]
CVE-ID: CVE-2026-86972
CWE-ID: CWE-120
Exploitation vector: Remote access
Exploit availability:
No public exploit available
Vulnerability details
The vulnerability allows a remote attacker to compromise the affected system.
The vulnerability exists due to memory corruption in CoreAudio when processing crafted audio files. A remote attacker can trick the victim into opening a specially crafted file, trigger memory corruption and execute arbitrary code on the target system.
Affected software
macOS
iPadOS
Apple iOS
iPadOS
Apple iOS
How to mitigate CVE-2026-86972
Install updates from vendor's website.
macOS - addressed in versions 27.2 26B123, 26.7.2 25G332
iPadOS - addressed in versions 26.7.2, 27.2 24B119
Apple iOS - addressed in versions 26.7.2, 27.2 24B119, 27.2 24B120, 27.2 24B91020
iPadOS - addressed in versions 26.7.2, 27.2 24B119
Apple iOS - addressed in versions 26.7.2, 27.2 24B119, 27.2 24B120, 27.2 24B91020