Apple released security updates to address an actively exploited zero-day tracked as CVE-2026-20700, warning it may have been used in an “extremely sophisticated” attack targeting specific individuals on versions of iOS prior to iOS 26. The flaw affects dyld (Apple’s dynamic linker) and can allow arbitrary code execution when an attacker already has memory write capability; reporting attributes discovery to Google’s Threat Analysis Group and notes it may have been used as part of an exploit chain.
Apple shipped fixes across its ecosystem, including iOS 26.3, iPadOS 26.3, macOS Tahoe 26.3, watchOS 26.3, tvOS 26.3, and visionOS 26.3. The same reporting indicates Apple also issued patches tied to the broader report for CVE-2025-14174 (an out-of-bounds memory access issue in Chrome’s ANGLE graphics component on Mac) and CVE-2025-43529 (a use-after-free leading to code execution), and commentary from security practitioners emphasized that enterprise risk is driven by patch deployment speed—particularly where updates rely on end users rather than enforced device management.

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4 events from the most recent confirmed update back to the earliest known activity.
After Apple's disclosure, CISA added CVE-2026-20700 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. CyberScoop described it as the first Apple issue CISA flagged as actively exploited in 2026.
In the same disclosure cycle, Apple also referenced CVE-2025-14174 and CVE-2025-43529 as having been addressed in response to the same report tied to CVE-2026-20700. Reporting noted these additional memory-safety flaws may have been part of a broader exploit chain, though Apple did not fully explain the relationship.
On 2026-02-11, Apple released security updates including iOS/iPadOS 26.3, macOS Tahoe 26.3, watchOS 26.3, tvOS 26.3, and visionOS 26.3 to fix CVE-2026-20700. Apple said the flaw may have been used in an 'extremely sophisticated' attack against specific targeted individuals and that it could allow arbitrary code execution when an attacker already has memory write capability.
Google's Threat Analysis Group/Threat Intelligence Group discovered a memory-corruption flaw in Apple's dyld component, tracked as CVE-2026-20700. Apple later credited Google with reporting the issue and said it affected iOS versions prior to iOS 26.
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