watchOS 26.2 Security Update

What watchOS 26.2 Fixes

watchOS 26.2, released December 12, 2025, fixes 26 vulnerabilities in 13 parts of the system, according to Apple's security advisory.

Apple says 2 of these flaws — CVE-2025-43529, CVE-2025-14174 — may already have been exploited. That makes watchOS 26.2 an update to install now rather than at the weekend.

It has since been superseded: the newest security release for watchOS 26 is watchOS 26.6, from July 27, 2026, which includes these fixes.

Grouped by us from the impact Apple gives for each fix; the impact lines below are Apple's own.

Exploited Before the Fix

Apple flags a fix as possibly exploited when it has a credible report that the flaw was used against real people before the patch. These are the reason to update today.

• WebKit Exploited

  Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to arbitrary code execution. Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been exploited in an extremely sophisticated attack against specific targeted individuals on versions of iOS before iOS 26. CVE-2025-14174 was also issued in response to this report.

  A use-after-free issue was addressed with improved memory management.

  CVE-2025-43529

• WebKit Exploited

  Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to memory corruption. Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been exploited in an extremely sophisticated attack against specific targeted individuals on versions of iOS before iOS 26. CVE-2025-43529 was also issued in response to this report.

  A memory corruption issue was addressed with improved validation.

  CVE-2025-14174

Which Devices Get watchOS 26.2

Apple lists watchOS 26.2 for: Apple Watch Series 6 and later.

How to Install watchOS 26.2

Open the Watch app on the paired iPhone, then General → Software Update. The watch needs to be on its charger and within range of the iPhone.

Security fixes are cumulative: any later release for the same version includes these as well, so if you are already past watchOS 26.2 there is nothing to do.

Every Fix in watchOS 26.2

The rest of Apple's advisory — every fix not already listed above, the most serious kinds first. Each entry is the part of the system affected, Apple's description of the impact and the fix, and the CVE ID.

• Kernel

  An app may be able to gain root privileges

  An integer overflow was addressed by adopting 64-bit timestamps.

  CVE-2025-46285

• App Store

  An app may be able to access sensitive payment tokens

  A permissions issue was addressed with additional restrictions.

  CVE-2025-46288

• Messages

  An app may be able to access sensitive user data

  An information disclosure issue was addressed with improved privacy controls.

  CVE-2025-46276

• Screen Time

  An app may be able to access sensitive user data

  A logging issue was addressed with improved data redaction.

  CVE-2025-43538

• Calling Framework

  An attacker may be able to spoof their FaceTime caller ID

  An inconsistent user interface issue was addressed with improved state management.

  CVE-2025-46287

• AppleJPEG

  Processing a file may lead to memory corruption

  The issue was addressed with improved bounds checks.

  CVE-2025-43539

• Foundation

  Processing malicious data may lead to unexpected app termination

  A memory corruption issue was addressed with improved bounds checking.

  CVE-2025-43532

• Multi-Touch

  A malicious HID device may cause an unexpected process crash

  The issue was addressed with improved bounds checks.

  CVE-2025-43533 CVE-2025-46300 CVE-2025-46301 CVE-2025-46302 CVE-2025-46303 CVE-2025-46304 CVE-2025-46305

• Security

  A remote attacker may be able to cause a denial-of-service

  A logic issue was addressed with improved checks.

  CVE-2025-46290

• WebKit

  Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to an unexpected process crash

  A race condition was addressed with improved state handling.

  CVE-2025-43531

• WebKit

  Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to an unexpected process crash

  The issue was addressed with improved memory handling.

  CVE-2025-46298

• WebKit Web Inspector

  Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to an unexpected process crash

  A use-after-free issue was addressed with improved memory management.

  CVE-2025-43511

• curl

  Multiple issues in curl

  This is a vulnerability in open source code and Apple Software is among the affected projects. The CVE-ID was assigned by a third party. Learn more about the issue and CVE-ID at cve.org .

  CVE-2024-7264 CVE-2025-9086

• Foundation

  An app may be able to inappropriately access files through the spellcheck API

  A logic issue was addressed with improved checks.

  CVE-2025-43518

• Icons

  An app may be able to identify what other apps a user has installed

  A permissions issue was addressed with additional restrictions.

  CVE-2025-46279

• Screen Time

  An app may be able to access a user’s Safari history

  A logging issue was addressed with improved data redaction.

  CVE-2025-46277

• WebKit

  Processing maliciously crafted web content may disclose internal states of the app

  A memory initialization issue was addressed with improved memory handling.

  CVE-2025-46299

watchOS 26 Security Release History

watchOS 26.2 in context: the security releases Apple has published for watchOS 26, newest first, with the number of fixes each carried.

The Same Fixes Elsewhere

Apple ships most fixes to every platform that shares the code, and to older versions still under support. These releases close at least one of the same CVEs:

Frequently Asked Questions