Apple patches iMessage group-chat flaws and Bluetooth pairing bugs
Original title: Apple Patches iMessage Group Chat Privacy Flaws and Bluetooth Pairing Vulnerabilities
iOS and iPadOS 27.2.1 also fix Brotli CVE-2026-111497, which CISA added to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on October 27.
Apple said a remote attacker could join an iMessage group chat and receive its messages, and that someone added to a group could read messages sent before they joined. Updates including iOS and iPadOS 27.2.1 fix both issues through improved validation, plus an out-of-bounds write in Google’s Brotli decoder. The same releases fix Bluetooth and AirPlay flaws, including pairing without user interaction. Apple does not say whether the iMessage flaws were exploited or whether every member must update.
Unconfirmed: Apple does not say whether the iMessage flaws were exploited, what a paired device could do, or whether all members must update.
- Group-chat join flaw is CVE-2026-113961; prior-message access is CVE-2026-113960.
- iOS 18.7.12 and watchOS 26.6.1 notes omit the iMessage and Brotli fixes.
- Notes give no workaround for devices that cannot be updated now.
- Two Bluetooth flaws allow pairing without user interaction, Apple said.
- Two other flaws can bypass the limit on pairing-code attempts.
Impact: join iMessage groups and read messages; Brotli memory corruption
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| Apple iOS | — | 27.2.1 |
| Apple iPadOS | — | 27.2.1 |
| Google Brotli | — | — |
- 1.Install updates whose notes include the iMessage and Brotli fixes, including iOS and iPadOS 27.2.1.
- 2.Do not treat iOS 18.7.12 or watchOS 26.6.1 as covering those three flaws.
- Organizations
- CISA
Vulnerabilities mentioned
All| CVE | Vulnerability | CVSS | EPSS | Signals | Published |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2026-111497 | Buffer overflow in Google Brotli decoder 1.0.3–1.2.0 | 9.2 | 83% | KEVPoC ×25 | KEV |
CVE-2026-113961+1 related CVE | Incorrect authorization lets a remote attacker join iMessage groups | 7.5 group max | — |
From the original article
2 min read at thehackernews.com
An iMessage flaw could let a remote attacker join a group chat and receive its messages, Apple said yesterday, and it released updates to fix it. The updates also fix a separate iMessage flaw that could let someone added to a group access messages sent before they joined. As of today, other updates released yesterday for the iPhone XS, XS Max and XR, the iPad (7th generation) and some Apple
thehackernews.com
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