ZeroHour

CVE-2026-43687

mass

Kernel Memory Disclosure via Malicious NFS Server in Apple iOS, macOS, watchOS

CVSS 3.1
6.5 medium
EPSS
Published
()
Modified
AI analysis

CVE-2026-43687 is a kernel memory disclosure flaw in Apple's NFS client caused by insufficient memory handling, patched by Apple on September 14, 2026. It is triggered when a device connects to (mounts a share from) an attacker-controlled or malicious NFS server, such as one offered by an attacker on the local network. A successful attack lets the malicious server read back portions of the device's kernel memory, which can expose sensitive data such as kernel pointers, addresses, or other information useful for further exploitation. All unpatched iPhones, iPads, Macs (Tahoe and Golden Gate), Apple TVs, Vision Pro headsets, and Apple Watches are affected. There is no CVSS score yet, no public proof of concept, and no known exploitation in the wild.

What to do: Update to iOS/iPadOS 26.7 or 27, macOS Tahoe 26.7 or macOS Golden Gate 27, tvOS 27, visionOS 27, and watchOS 27, which Apple shipped in its September 14 'Updates Everything' release. Until patched, avoid mounting NFS shares from untrusted servers or on untrusted networks, and enterprise admins should restrict NFS auto-mounting to known-good servers and verify fleet-wide OS updates. No workaround exists beyond avoiding malicious NFS servers.

Affected
Apple iOSbefore 26.7 (fixed in 26.7 and 27)
Apple iPadOSbefore 26.7 (fixed in 26.7 and 27)
Apple macOS Golden Gatebefore 27
Apple macOS Tahoebefore 26.7
Apple tvOSbefore 27
Apple visionOSbefore 27
Apple watchOSbefore 27
Estimated exposure
mass≈2 billion+ devices (Apple's stated active installed base), with a small fraction practically exposed via NFS use — The vulnerable NFS client code ships in every current iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Vision Pro, and Apple Watch, and Apple has publicly stated an active installed base of over 2 billion devices; however, the flaw only manifests when a…

Order-of-magnitude estimate by the model from install counts, market share and public scan data it knows; verify before quoting.

Description

The issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in iOS 26.7 and iPadOS 26.7, iOS 27 and iPadOS 27, macOS Golden Gate 27, macOS Tahoe 26.7, tvOS 27, visionOS 27, watchOS 27. Connecting to a malicious NFS server may disclose kernel memory.

Vendors
apple
Products
ipados, iphone os, macos, tvos, visionos, watchos
Weakness
CWE-200
Vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

In the news

Apple Updates Everything, (Mon, Sep 14th)

Apple patched a record 261 vulnerabilities across iOS 27, macOS Golden Gate 27, watchOS 27, and other platforms, with none flagged as exploited.

Apple's annual OS update shipped iOS/iPadOS 27, macOS Golden Gate 27, tvOS 27, watchOS 27, and visionOS 27 plus bug-fix releases for the 26 and 15 branches, fixing a record 261 vulnerabilities. Notable issues include multiple kernel flaws allowing root privilege escalation (CVE-2026-43689, CVE-2026-43691, CVE-2026-43698, CVE-2026-43786), remote code execution in CUPS (CVE-2026-43692), kernel memory corruption via malicious NFS servers (CVE-2026-43686, CVE-2026-43687), and WebKit memory corruption from crafted web content (CVE-2026-43715). No vulnerabilities are labeled as actively exploited, and Apple does not assign per-CVE severities. Users report iOS 26.7 being downloaded when iOS 27 is intended, and tools like Little Snitch and BlockBlock need updates before upgrading to macOS 27.