Apple OS Audio Stream OOB Bounds Check (fixed 18.7.7/15.7.5)
CVE-2026-20690 Published on March 25, 2026
An out-of-bounds access issue was addressed with improved bounds checking. This issue is fixed in iOS 18.7.7 and iPadOS 18.7.7, iOS 26.4 and iPadOS 26.4, macOS Sequoia 15.7.5, macOS Sonoma 14.8.5, macOS Tahoe 26.4, tvOS 26.4, visionOS 26.4, watchOS 26.4. Processing an audio stream in a maliciously crafted media file may terminate the process.
Vulnerability Analysis
CVE-2026-20690 is exploitable with network access, requires user interaction. This vulnerability is considered to have a low attack complexity. The potential impact of an exploit of this vulnerability is considered to have no impact on confidentiality and integrity, and a high impact on availability.
Weakness Type
Out-of-bounds Read
The software reads data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer. Typically, this can allow attackers to read sensitive information from other memory locations or cause a crash. A crash can occur when the code reads a variable amount of data and assumes that a sentinel exists to stop the read operation, such as a NUL in a string. The expected sentinel might not be located in the out-of-bounds memory, causing excessive data to be read, leading to a segmentation fault or a buffer overflow. The software may modify an index or perform pointer arithmetic that references a memory location that is outside of the boundaries of the buffer. A subsequent read operation then produces undefined or unexpected results.
Products Associated with CVE-2026-20690
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Affected Versions
Apple iOS and iPadOS:- Before 18.7.7 is affected.
- Before 26.4 is affected.
- Before 14.8.5 is affected.
- Before 15.7.5 is affected.
- Before 26.4 is affected.
- Before 26.4 is affected.
- Before 26.4 is affected.
- Before 26.4 is affected.
Exploit Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) scores estimate the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. The percentile shows you how this score compares to all other vulnerabilities.