CVE-2026-20688 Path traversal in iOS and iPadOS
An app can break out of its sandbox due to a path handling issue, requiring an OS update to mitigate.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Local or same network only
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- None listed
What is CVE-2026-20688?
CVE-2026-20688 is a critical path traversal vulnerability in Apple Ipados, published on 25 Mar 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Official description
A path handling issue was addressed with improved validation. This issue is fixed in iOS 26.4 and iPadOS 26.4, macOS Sequoia 15.7.5, macOS Sonoma 14.8.5, macOS Tahoe 26.4, visionOS 26.4. An app may be able to break out of its sandbox.
Weakness: CWE-22
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-20688?
It affects 4 products.
Products include Apple Ipados, Apple Iphone Os, Apple Macos, Apple Visionos.
How do I fix CVE-2026-20688?
No fix has been published for CVE-2026-20688 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.
Upgrade, and resolve every user-supplied path against an allowed base folder before opening it. More about Path traversal.
Is CVE-2026-20688 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-20688 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Apple Ipados
- CVE-2025-43300 Apple iOS, iPadOS, and macOS Out-of-Bounds Write
- CVE-2025-24201 Apple Multiple Products WebKit Out-of-Bounds Write
- CVE-2025-24085 Apple Multiple Products Use-After-Free
- CVE-2025-31200 Apple Multiple Products Memory Corruption
- CVE-2025-31201 Apple Multiple Products Arbitrary Read and Write
Sources
Also known as GHSA-8x27-8fvr-pw94.