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IBM AIX CVE-2026-16946

| EUVDEUVD-2026-63679 HIGH
Out-of-bounds Write (CWE-787)
2026-08-20 ibm GHSA-mfv6-ph6j-4w5v
7.8
CVSS 3.1 · Vendor: ibm
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Severity by source

Vendor (ibm) PRIMARY
7.8 HIGH
AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
vuln.today AI
7.8 HIGH

Local-only heap overflow exploitable by any low-privileged account; full CIA impact on the vulnerable host; no scope change as exploitation is contained within the OS boundary.

3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
4.0 AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Primary rating from Vendor (ibm).

CVSS VectorVendor: ibm

Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

Lifecycle Timeline

2
Analysis Generated
Aug 20, 2026 - 22:24 vuln.today
CVE Published
Aug 20, 2026 - 21:34 nvd
HIGH 7.8

DescriptionCVE.org

IBM AIX 7.2, and 7.3 and IBM PowerVM VIOS 4.1 could allow a local attacker to gain elevated privileges due to a heap buffer overflow.

AnalysisAI

Local privilege escalation in IBM AIX 7.2, 7.3 and IBM PowerVM VIOS 4.1 via heap buffer overflow (CWE-787) enables an authenticated local attacker with standard user-level access to gain elevated - potentially root - privileges on affected systems. The CVSS 7.8 High score reflects full confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact despite the local attack vector, making this a serious insider-threat and post-compromise escalation risk. …

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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata

Access
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Delivery
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Exploit
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Execution
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Impact
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Vulnerability AssessmentAI

Exploitation Exploitation requires a valid local account on the affected IBM AIX 7.2/7.3 or PowerVM VIOS 4.1 system with at minimum low OS-level privileges (PR:L per CVSS). … Additional conditions and limiting factors are described in the full assessment.
Risk Assessment The CVSS 7.8 High vector (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) accurately reflects a high-severity local privilege escalation: reliably exploitable, requiring only a low-privileged shell account, with full impact across confidentiality, integrity, and availability. … Full risk analysis with EPSS, KEV, and SSVC signal comparison available after sign-in.
Exploit Scenario Full exploit scenario with step-by-step reproduction available after sign-in.
Remediation Apply the vendor-released patch documented in IBM's security advisory at https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7283858. … Detailed patch versions, workarounds, and compensating controls in full report.

Recommended ActionAI

Within 24 hours: Identify all systems running IBM AIX 7.2, 7.3, or PowerVM VIOS 4.1 and document user access levels, prioritizing systems with sensitive data or elevated-privilege accounts. …

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CVE-2026-16946 vulnerability details – vuln.today

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