CVE-2026-20700: Apple Multiple Products

Should you act?

Exploited: patch now if you run it

CISA has confirmed exploitation in the wild. This signal is computed from CISA KEV, EPSS and CVSS data; it is not an editorial verdict.

Yes, if you run Apple Multiple Products. CISA added this CVE to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2026-02-12, which means there is reliable evidence of exploitation in the wild. US federal agencies must remediate by 2026-03-05; treat that as the outer limit, not the target.
EPSS 1.4%, percentile 72: FIRST’s model estimates a 1.4% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 72% of all scored CVEs (moderate). EPSS is a probability, not a verdict.
Needs local access needed. Lower urgency for most teams unless an attacker could already run code on the machine.

What it is

A memory corruption issue was addressed with improved state management. This issue is fixed in iOS 26.3 and iPadOS 26.3, macOS Tahoe 26.3, tvOS 26.3, visionOS 26.3, watchOS 26.3. An attacker with memory write capability may be able to execute arbitrary code. Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been exploited in an extremely sophisticated attack against specific targeted individuals on versions of iOS before iOS 26. CVE-2025-14174 and CVE-2025-43529 were also issued in response to this report.

CISA’s summary

Apple iOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS, and visionOS contain an improper restriction of operations within the bounds of a memory buffer vulnerability that could allow an attacker with memory write the capability to execute arbitrary code.

Weakness type: CWE-119.

Product: Apple Multiple Products · Assigned by: apple · Published: 2026-02-11

Affected and fixed versions

Vendor	Product	Affected versions (per CVE record)
Apple	iOS and iPadOS	< 26.3
Apple	macOS	< 26.3
Apple	tvOS	< 26.3
Apple	visionOS	< 26.3
Apple	watchOS	< 26.3

Severity scores

Scored by	CVSS	Score	Vector
CISA-ADP	3.1	7.8 High	`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`

Attack vector: local access needed
Attack complexity: low
Privileges required: low (any account)
User interaction: none
Scope: unchanged

CVSS measures how bad a flaw is if exploited, not how likely exploitation is. Read it next to the exploitation data below.

Exploitation and urgency

CISA KEV: added 2026-02-12; federal due date 2026-03-05. Known ransomware use: Unknown.
CISA required action: Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation active, automatable no, technical impact total.
FIRST EPSS (model of 2026-10-21): 1.39% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 72.

Timeline

2026-02-11 — CVE record published by apple
2026-02-12 — Added to CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog
2026-03-05 — CISA remediation deadline for US federal agencies
2026-04-02 — CVE record last updated

Sources and references

Original sources first. Version and fix details should always be confirmed against the vendor or project advisory.