CVE-2026-43695

Executive Summary

CVE-2026-43695 is an authorization flaw (CWE-863) in Apple's operating system family — iPadOS is listed as the vendor/product pairing in the CVE record, with the same class of defect affecting iOS, macOS (Golden Gate, Sequoia, Tahoe), tvOS, visionOS, and watchOS. Apple addressed "an authorization issue" through improved state management, meaning the weakness stemmed from incorrect validation of application state before granting access to protected resources. A malicious or compromised local application may be able to access sensitive user data without proper authorization. With a CVSS base score of 5.5 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N), the vulnerability requires local execution context and low privileges, requires no user interaction, and results in high confidentiality impact with no integrity or availability loss.

Technical Analysis

CVE-2026-43695 falls into CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization. Apple's advisory language — "an authorization issue was addressed with improved state management" — indicates that a security decision (whether a requesting process is permitted to access a protected resource) was made based on state that could be manipulated, stale, or misinterpreted. The fix applied "improved state management," implying the vulnerable code path tracked authorization-relevant state in a way that rendered an incorrect allow/deny decision.

The attack surface is the local application sandbox boundary on Apple platforms. On iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, visionOS, and watchOS, applications execute within a sandboxed environment and rely on the operating system to mediate access to sensitive user data (e.g., sandboxed containers, entitlement-gated services, shared data stores, or inter-process communication surfaces). An authorization weakness means a malicious application running under the normal user/application privilege context may be able to reach data that should be gated behind an additional authorization check.

Key characteristics derivable from the CVSS vector:

• AV:L (Local): The attacker must already have code executing on the victim device. This is not a network-exploitable defect. Delivery typically requires the victim to install a malicious application, or an attacker to achieve prior local code execution.
• PR:L (Low Privileges): The attacker requires only ordinary (unprivileged application) access. No administrative or system-level entitlement is needed.
• UI:N (No User Interaction): Once the malicious app is running, no further user action is required to trigger the flaw.
• S:U (Unchanged): The impact is confined to the vulnerable security authority; the compromise does not cross a privilege boundary defined by the scope metric.
• C:H / I:N / A:N: The outcome is a confidentiality-only impact. The attacker reads sensitive user data but does not modify or destroy it, and availability is unaffected. This is consistent with a data-exfiltration class flaw rather than a code-execution or denial-of-service flaw.

The exact mechanism by which state management failed is not disclosed in the NVD description. Apple's advisories deliberately withhold implementation specifics to slow exploitation. No function names, class names, API endpoints, entitlement identifiers, or file paths are provided in the source data, and none are fabricated here. What can be stated with confidence is the vulnerability class: an authorization check relied on state that an attacker could influence such that the check evaluated true (allowed) when it should have evaluated false (denied), granting the malicious application read access to sensitive user data.

The scope of affected platforms (seven OS families sharing the fix) strongly suggests the affected component is a shared Apple platform framework or subsystem present across all these operating systems, rather than a single app-specific bug. This is typical of Apple CVEs where a common daemon, framework, or security primitive is patched across the ecosystem simultaneously.

Exploitation Scenarios

No public proof-of-concept, exploit code, or Nuclei template exists for CVE-2026-43695 at the time of writing, and the EPSS score is 0.00175 (7.2th percentile), indicating low near-term exploitation likelihood. The attack chain below is described at the vulnerability-class level and inferred from the CVSS vector and CWE category. No specific function names or implementation details are asserted, because none are available in the source data.

1) Reconnaissance / Target Identification. On a local-access vulnerability, "reconnaissance" means an attacker identifying Apple devices running a vulnerable OS version. This happens in two realistic ways: (a) a user on a corporate or BYOD fleet is socially engineered into installing a malicious or Trojanized application from outside the App Store (sideloading, enterprise/MDM profile abuse, or a malicious TestFlight distribution), or (b) the attacker already possesses a foothold on the device through a separate initial access vector and seeks a second-stage authorization bypass to reach additional data. An attacker would confirm the running OS version is below the fixed releases (iOS/iPadOS < 27, macOS Sequoia < 15.8, macOS Tahoe < 26.7, and the corresponding tvOS/visionOS/watchOS versions).

2) Triggering the Authorization Flaw. The malicious application invokes the affected subsystem's data-access path. Because the flaw is an authorization/state-management defect, the application can craft or influence the state under which an authorization decision is made — resulting in the OS permitting access to sensitive user data it would otherwise deny. The application does not need elevated (PR:H) privileges; it operates under the ordinary low-privilege application context (PR:L). No user interaction (UI:N) is required at trigger time.

3) Execution Method (class level). The payload is delivered as part of the malicious application's normal runtime behavior. On trigger, the application reads sensitive user data made reachable by the broken authorization check. Because the CVSS vector shows no integrity or availability impact, the attacker's observed effect is a read/exfiltration primitive, not a write or tamper primitive.

4) Post-Exploitation Impact. The malicious application collects the sensitive user data it can now access and exfiltrates it over its normal network channel (or stages it for a subsequent stage). Because the confidentiality impact is High (C:H), the data exposed could be individual records or a category of user data intended to be access-controlled. The absence of integrity/availability impact means the device continues to function normally, making the compromise quiet and hard for a user to notice. Apple's categorization as an "authorization issue" rather than a memory-safety issue suggests the attacker may be able to repeat the read across the session while the app remains installed.

Post-exploitation pivoting. An attacker who obtains sensitive user data via this flaw could use it for further targeting (e.g., account correlation, credential harvesting if the exposed data class includes credentials or identifiers in the affected subsystem's domain). Again, the precise data class is not disclosed.

Impact Assessment

Confidentiality: High (C:H). The core impact is unauthorized read access to sensitive user data. Integrity: None (I:N). Neither the OS nor user data is modified. Availability: None (A:N). No service disruption. Scope: Unchanged (S:U). The impact stays within the vulnerable authorization authority.

CVSS 3.1 base score: 5.5 (MEDIUM). The vector AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N produces 5.5 because the Local attack vector and Low privileges requirement temper what would otherwise be a higher score driven by the High confidentiality impact. Exploit maturity today is low (no PoC, no KEV, EPSS 0.00175).

Affected systems and blast radius:

• All Apple device classes on the affected OS families: iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Vision Pro, Apple Watch.
• Enterprises supporting BYOD and MDM-managed Apple fleets, where a large fraction of endpoint devices may remain on unpatched OS versions after a new major release (many organizations lag OS major upgrades by months).
• High-value targets: executives, journalists, and users who install apps from outside official distribution channels, and any user whose device holds sensitive data reachable by the affected subsystem.

Business impact: A confidentiality-only, local, low-privilege flaw is not a remote mass-exploitation event. However, for targets where local malicious apps are a realistic threat, the ability to silently read sensitive user data without user interaction is a meaningful data-loss risk. The across-the-ecosystem nature of the fix means organizations must coordinate patching for multiple device classes, which increases the chance of unpatched devices lingering.

Exploitation likelihood: Low at present. No public exploit, no KEV listing, low EPSS. The absence of exploit code and the need for prior local execution limit near-term opportunistic exploitation.

Detection Guidance

Detection focuses on identifying unauthorized application access to sensitive data, anomalous data read patterns from third-party applications, and unexpected outbound data flows from apps that should not be handling sensitive user data.

Sigma Rule

title: Apple OS - Local Application Unauthorized Access to Sensitive User Data (CVE-2026-43695)
id: 3f9c1a7b-4e2d-4c8a-9b1f-2a6d5e0c7f31
status: experimental
description: Detects a local application process accessing sensitive user data
  resources it should not be authorized to reach, consistent with the authorization
  bypass described in CVE-2026-43695 (CWE-863) affecting Apple iOS/iPadOS/macOS/
  tvOS/visionOS/watchOS.
references:
  - https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-43695
author: valtersit.com
date: 2026/01/01
tags:
  - attack.t1555
  - cve.2026-43695
logsource:
  category: process_creation
  product: macos
detection:
  selection_suspicious_app:
    Image|endswith:
      - '/Applications/UntrustedApp.app/Contents/MacOS/UntrustedApp'
  selection_protected_resource_access:
    CommandLine|contains:
      - 'Library/Containers'
      - 'Library/Group Containers'
      - 'Keychains'
  condition: selection_suspicious_app and selection_protected_resource_access
falsepositives:
  - Legitimate applications accessing their own sandbox containers
level: medium

Note: This rule is a template. Because the specific framework/API involved in CVE-2026-43695 is not publicly documented, detection should be tuned to your environment's baseline of which applications legitimately access the above resource classes. Apple does not expose a stable OS-level data-access telemetry stream to most third-party EDR products, so endpoint observability may be limited; complement with app-install telemetry.

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2026_43695_Apple_Authz_Bypass_App
{
    meta:
        description = "Hunts for application binaries/plists associated with unauthorized access to sensitive user data on Apple platforms (CVE-2026-43695)"
        author = "valtersit.com"
        reference = "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-43695"
        date = "2026-01-01"
        cve = "CVE-2026-43695"
        cwe = "CWE-863"

    strings:
        $macho = { CF FA ED FE }
        $macho64 = { CF FA ED FE 07 00 00 01 }
        $entitlement = "com.apple.private" ascii wide
        $container = "Library/Containers" ascii wide
        $groupcontainer = "Library/Group Containers" ascii wide

    condition:
        ($macho or $macho64) and
        ($entitlement or $container or $groupcontainer)
}

Note: This is a heuristic hunting rule. It matches Mach-O binaries that reference private entitlements or sandbox container paths. It will produce false positives against legitimate Apple and third-party applications and should only be used for triage, not automated blocking.

Suricata IDS Rule

alert http any any -> any any (msg:"CVE-2026-43695 Possible Exfiltration of Sensitive User Data from Apple Device"; flow:established,to_server; http.method; content:"POST"; http.header; content:"User-Agent"; content:"CFNetwork"; http.request_body; content:"|7B 22|"; threshold:type limit, track by_src, count 1, seconds 60; classtype:policy-violation; reference:cve,2026-43695; sid:202643695; rev:1;)

Note: A purely network-based detection for a local authorization flaw is inherently indirect. This rule flags outbound POST requests from Apple's native networking stack (CFNetwork) carrying JSON bodies — a plausible exfiltration channel. Tune thresholds and content to your environment. This will generate false positives from legitimate app telemetry.

Elastic Detection

process where event.type == "start" and
  process.name : ("*") and
  process.args : ("*Library/Containers*", "*Library/Group Containers*", "*Keychains*")

Note: This EQL query detects processes launched with arguments referencing protected data locations. It requires macOS process telemetry (e.g., Elastic Defend / Endpoint) and should be scoped to non-Apple-signed processes. The exact process/argument pattern for CVE-2026-43695 is undocumented, so this is a baseline-anomaly query rather than a signature match.

Splunk SPL Query

index=endpoint sourcetype=macos:process OR sourcetype=osquery:results
| search (process_path="*Contents/MacOS/*" AND NOT signer="Apple")
| where match(command_line, "(?i)(Library/Containers|Library/Group Containers|Keychains)")
| stats count min(_time) as first_seen max(_time) as last_seen by host, user, process_name, process_path, command_line
| where count > 5
| convert ctime(first_seen) ctime(last_seen)
| sort - count

Note: This query surfaces repeated accesses to protected data locations by non-Apple-signed binaries. Adjust the signer field to match your telemetry schema.

Wazuh OSSEC Rule

<group name="apple,cve-2026-43695,">
  <rule id="100695" level="10">
    <decoded_as>json</decoded_as>
    <field name="event.type">process_start</field>
    <field name="process.path" type="pcre2">/Contents/MacOS/</field>
    <field name="process.command_line" type="pcre2">(?i)(Library/Containers|Library/Group\sContainers|Keychains)</field>
    <description>CVE-2026-43695: Non-Apple application accessing protected user data locations on Apple endpoint $(hostname)</description>
    <mitre>
      <id>T1555</id>
    </mitre>
    <group>cve_2026_43695,</group>
  </rule>
</group>

Note: Requires Wazuh agents on macOS/iOS-managed endpoints forwarding process telemetry in JSON. Field names must match your decoder/schema.

Mitigation & Patch Guidance

Patch confidence: 2/4 — CLAIMED. The patch information comes from a single source (NVD) stating Apple fixed the issue via improved state management. This has not been independently confirmed against Apple's own security advisory portal. Verify against Apple's HT-series security notes before treating the fix list as authoritative.

1) Immediate mitigations (prior to / independent of patching):

• Restrict application installation to the official App Store. Disable or tightly control sideloading, enterprise app distribution, and MDM profiles that permit untrusted app installation on managed Apple devices.
• Reduce the population of local malicious apps on devices through app vetting and MDM allowlisting.
• Enforce device posture checks so that any device with an unpatched OS version is restricted from accessing sensitive corporate data.
• Because this is a confidentiality-only, local flaw with no public exploit and no KEV listing, it is not an emergency remediation; prioritize by device sensitivity.

2) Patch / upgrade steps:

• Apply the fixed OS releases: iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS Golden Gate 27, macOS Sequoia 15.8, macOS Tahoe 26.7, tvOS 27, visionOS 27, watchOS 27.
• Because the fix spans seven OS families, inventory all managed device classes (phones, tablets, Macs, Apple TV, Vision Pro, Watches) and confirm each reaches its fixed build. Watches, Apple TVs, and other non-user-managed devices are the most likely to be missed.
• Track iOS/iPadOS patch compliance with MDM reporting; treat macOS Sequoia and Tahoe devices separately since they receive point updates (15.8, 26.7) rather than requiring the next major version.

3) Long-term hardening:

• Maintain an OS patch-cadence SLA for Apple endpoints and enforce automatic updates where acceptable.
• Keep MDM app-install controls strict; the primary initial-access vector for a local authorization flaw is an untrusted app already running on the device.
• Segment access to highly sensitive data behind additional layers (e.g., device-bound authentication, per-app authorization) so a single local data-access bypass does not equate to full data exposure.
• Monitor Apple security advisories on a defined cadence and reconcile third-party CVE data (like this record) against the vendor advisory before relying on patch claims.

References

1. NVD — CVE-2026-43695: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-43695
2. CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization — https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/863.html
3. MITRE ATT&CK T1555 — Credentials from Password Stores: https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1555/
4. Apple Security Releases (vendor advisory index — verify the specific HT advisory for these OS versions): https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201222
5. FIRST EPSS — Exploit Prediction Scoring System: https://www.first.org/epss/

Threat actor / exploit-in-the-wild status: No CISA KEV listing (KEV: NO), no public PoC, no exploit code, no Nuclei template, and no known threat actor campaign is associated with CVE-2026-43695 based on the provided data. EPSS is 0.00175 (7.2nd percentile), consistent with a vulnerability that is not currently being exploited in the wild. This assessment should be revisited if Apple publishes an advisory confirming in-the-wild exploitation or if exploit code appears.