Medium

Use-after-free in WebKit leading to Safari crash

IdentifiersCVE-2026-28942CWE-416· Use After Free

CVE-2026-28942 is a WebKit memory-safety vulnerability in Apple platforms. Apple describes it as a use-after-free issue that was addressed with improved memory management. Processing maliciously crafted web content can trigger the flaw and lead to an unexpected Safari crash. The issue was fixed in Safari 26.5, iOS 26.5, iPadOS 26.5, macOS Tahoe 26.5, tvOS 26.5, visionOS 26.5, and watchOS 26.5. The available context identifies the affected component as WebKit but does not provide the specific vulnerable function or code path.

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ANALYST BRIEF

Impact, mitigation & remediation

What it means. What to do now. Patch path, mitigations, and the assume-compromise checklist.

Impact

What an attacker gets, and what they’ve been doing with it.

Successful exploitation can cause Safari, or the WebKit-driven browsing context on affected Apple platforms, to crash while processing attacker-controlled web content. Based on the provided information, the demonstrated impact is denial of service via browser/process termination. The provided content does not establish code execution, sandbox escape, or information disclosure for this specific CVE.

Mitigation

If you can’t patch tonight, do this now.

Until patches are applied, reduce exposure to untrusted web content in Safari and other applications embedding WebKit. Limit browsing to trusted sites, disable or restrict automatic opening of untrusted links where operationally feasible, and use network or content-filtering controls to reduce access to attacker-controlled pages. No vendor-specific workaround beyond updating is provided in the supplied content.

Remediation

Patch, then assume compromise.

Upgrade affected systems to versions containing Apple's fix: Safari 26.5, iOS 26.5, iPadOS 26.5, macOS Tahoe 26.5, tvOS 26.5, visionOS 26.5, and watchOS 26.5. On macOS Sonoma and macOS Sequoia, apply the Safari 26.5 update referenced in Apple's May 13, 2026 security notice. Apple states the issue was addressed through improved memory management in WebKit.

PUBLIC EXPLOITS

Exploits

No public exploits tracked yet. Mallory keeps watching.

VALID 0 / 0 TOTALView more in app

No public exploit code observed for this vulnerability.

EXPOSURE SURFACE

Affected products & vendors

Products and vendors Mallory has correlated with this vulnerability. Open in Mallory to drill down to specific CPE configurations and version ranges.

VendorProductType

AppleIosoperating_system

AppleIpadosoperating_system

AppleIphone Osoperating_system

AppleMacosoperating_system

AppleMacos Tahoeoperating_system

AppleTvosoperating_system

AppleVisionosoperating_system

AppleWatchosoperating_system

WebkitgtkWebkit2gtk3application

Vendor-confirmed product mapping. Mallory continuously reconciles this list against your asset inventory.

ACTIVITY FEED

Recent activity

20 sources tracked across advisories, community write-ups, and news. New activity surfaces here as Mallory finds it.

20 SOURCESView more in app

apple supportNews

May 13, 2026

About the security content of Safari 26.5 - Apple Support

A UI handling issue in Apple software where a malicious iframe may use another website’s download settings.

apple supportNews

May 13, 2026

About the security content of Safari 26.5 - Apple Support

A UI handling issue in Apple software for macOS Sonoma and macOS Sequoia where a malicious iframe may use another website’s download settings.

handlers diary fullNews

May 11, 2026

Apple Patches Everything - SANS Internet Storm Center

A WebKit vulnerability where maliciously crafted web content may cause an unexpected Safari crash.

tidbitsNews

May 11, 2026

OS 26.5 Adds Encrypted RCS Messaging, Fixes Bugs - TidBITS

A specific Apple security vulnerability fixed in the referenced updates; the content only identifies it by CVE and researcher attribution, without technical details.

+10 more in the timeline

What this page doesn’t show

The version that knows your environment.

This page is what’s public. Mallory adds the parts that aren’t: which of your assets are affected, which adversaries are exploiting it right now, which detections to deploy, and what to do tonight.

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Exposure mapping

Query your assets running an affected version, and investigate the blast radius.

Threat actor evidence

Every observed campaign linking this CVE to a named adversary.

Associated malware

Malware families riding this exploit, with evidence and IOCs.

Detection signatures

YARA, Sigma, Snort, and vendor rules, auto-deployed to your SIEM.

Vendor-by-vendor mapping

Cross-references every affected SKU, including bundled OEM variants.

Social activity4