Skip to main content

IBM i EUVDEUVD-2026-58231

| CVE-2026-17220 HIGH
Classic Buffer Overflow (CWE-120)
2026-08-13 ibm GHSA-hq8f-q49p-7786
8.2
CVSS 3.1 · Vendor: ibm
View

Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Identify network-exposed IBM i service
  2. Delivery
    Send oversized crafted input payload
  3. Exploit
    Trigger bounds-unchecked buffer copy
  4. Execution
    Overflow corrupts authentication metadata or crashes service
  5. Impact
    Denial of service achieved or auth integrity undermined

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Buffer copy size validation
MITRE ATT&CK

1 technique across 1 tactic: Execution

The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up.

Exploitation Conditions

No special conditions required for network reachability - the CVSS vector AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U confirms remote unauthenticated exploitation against network-accessible IBM i services on versions 7.3 through 7.6 with no prerequisite configuration or authentication. The primary limiting factor is network exposure: IBM i systems isolated behind perimeter firewalls that restrict external access to IBM i service ports would significantly reduce reachability for external attackers. Internal network access (from a compromised host or insider) remains a viable attack path regardless of perimeter controls. Scope is contained to the vulnerable system (S:U), with no cross-system pivot implied by the CVSS data. The specific network service or port targeted by the overflow is not identified in the available intelligence.

Impact

The CVSS 8.2 score is well-supported by the vector components: network-reachable (AV:N), low complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), no user interaction (UI:N), with high availability impact and low integrity impact. The combination of unauthenticated remote access with the ability to modify authentication metadata is particularly serious for IBM i environments, which frequently anchor identity and access controls for entire enterprise back-office stacks. No EPSS data was provided in the intelligence, so probabilistic exploitation likelihood cannot be quantified from available inputs. This CVE is not listed in CISA KEV, and no public exploit code has been identified - meaning active exploitation is unconfirmed and exploitation risk is currently speculative rather than observed. Despite the absence of confirmed exploitation, the low attack complexity means that any capable threat actor who develops or obtains exploit code faces minimal technical barriers, and even a mid-sized enterprise IT operation running IBM i for core business processes should treat this as an urgent patching priority. The integrity impact (I:L) for authentication metadata modification is understated relative to operational risk - corrupted auth metadata on an IBM i system could silently undermine access controls for dependent workloads.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An unauthenticated remote attacker sends a specially crafted oversized payload to a network-accessible IBM i service that lacks proper input length validation, triggering a buffer overflow in the receiving component. Depending on the memory layout at the time of exploitation, the overflow either crashes the service (denial of service) or overwrites authentication metadata in adjacent memory, potentially corrupting session or credential state for other processes relying on that subsystem. No public proof-of-concept code has been identified, but the low attack complexity suggests the barrier to exploit development is not high.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
Patch available 0.4% exploitation probability (EPSS)

Get an e-mail when this CVE is exploited, patched or re-scored. Free account.

Alert me

AnalysisAIv1 – Aug 13, 2026

Unauthenticated remote exploitation of a buffer overflow in IBM i 7.3 through 7.6 allows attackers to cause denial of service and modify authentication metadata without any credentials or user interaction. The CVSS vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N) confirms trivially reachable exploitation over the network against default-accessible services. IBM has released a patch; no public exploit code or CISA KEV listing has been identified at time of analysis.

RemediationAI

IBM has released a patch per vendor advisory at https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7283578; administrators should retrieve and apply the relevant PTFs for their IBM i release (7.3, 7.4, 7.5, or 7.6) as the primary remediation - exact PTF identifiers must be confirmed from the advisory. Patch available per vendor advisory; no independently confirmed fix version number was included in the available intelligence. If immediate PTF application is not feasible, network-level controls should be implemented: restrict inbound access to IBM i network services (particularly those involved in remote authentication flows) to known-trusted IP ranges via firewall policy, reducing exposure to unauthenticated attackers. Note that blanket network restriction may interrupt legitimate remote administration and application connectivity, so coordination with operations teams is required before implementing this workaround.

Affected VersionsENISA

i 7.6
i 7.3
i 7.4
i 7.5

Affected Packages

euvd i no fix

Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)

Affects your stack

Affects 1 package in euvd

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

IBM i (formerly OS/400 and i5/OS) is IBM's proprietary integrated operating system for IBM Power Systems midrange servers, widely deployed in banking, insurance, and manufacturing for mission-critical workloads. The root cause is CWE-120 (Classic Buffer Overflow: buffer copy without checking size of input), indicating that a network-accessible component copies externally supplied data into a fixed-size buffer without bounds validation, corrupting adjacent memory. The CPE string cpe:2.3:a:ibm:i:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* covers the IBM i application stack across all confirmed affected releases: 7.3, 7.4, 7.5, and 7.6. The dual impact - denial of service and authentication metadata modification - suggests the overflow reaches a memory region used by an authentication subsystem, making this more than a simple crash vulnerability.

Know when the next one hits your stack

  • Watch products and get an email when something new is published
  • Check this CVE against your own stack and servers
  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

No credit card · 7-day full trial

Severity by source

Vendor (ibm) PRIMARY 8.2 HIGH
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:H
vuln.today AI 8.2 HIGH

Network-reachable unauthenticated service with trivial exploit complexity; availability high for crash potential, integrity low for metadata-only modification, no confidentiality impact evidenced.

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

Primary rating from Vendor (ibm).

CVSS VectorVendor: ibm

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

DescriptionCVE.org

IBM i 7.6, 7.5, 7.4, and 7.3 could allow a remote attacker to cause a denial of service and modify authentication metadata due to a buffer overflow.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

IBM i versions 7.3-7.6 contain an unauthenticated network vulnerability enabling attackers to disable systems and manipulate authentication credentials without providing any credentials. This poses an immediate risk to operational continuity and security control for enterprises relying on IBM i for core business functions.

Business Impact: Severe
Compensating Controls

Apply vendor patch.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.4%
Top 68% exploitable
Prevalence
Medium
IBM i deployed widely in banking, insurance, and manufacturing sectors
Data Quality
5 sources
Confidence: Medium

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity HIGH
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.4%
Patch available Yes
Active threat No
Deciding rule
HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision
Out-of-Cycle
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable
Yes
Human Impact
Very High
Technical Impact
Partial

Priority Score

41
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +41
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

A buffer overflow occurs when a program writes more data to a memory buffer than it was allocated to hold, causing the excess data to spill into adjacent memory regions.

Denial of Service attacks render applications or systems unavailable by overwhelming resources or triggering failure conditions.

This site uses cookies essential for authentication and security. No tracking or analytics cookies are used. Privacy Policy