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IBM i EUVDEUVD-2026-58374

| CVE-2026-16868 HIGH
Use of Uninitialized Resource (CWE-908)
2026-08-13 ibm GHSA-63j5-c37r-ffqv
7.5
CVSS 3.1 · NVD
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Attack ChainAIDerived

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

  1. Access
    Identify network-exposed IBM i ASN.1 service
  2. Delivery
    Craft packet with malformed ASN.1 length field
  3. Exploit
    Deliver payload to target service over network
  4. Execution
    Trigger uninitialized memory read in ASN.1 parser
  5. Impact
    Cause service crash or denial of service

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Variable initialization
Exploitation Conditions

Exploitation requires a network-reachable IBM i service that accepts and parses ASN.1-encoded input - any component handling TLS handshakes, X.509 certificates, LDAP queries, SNMP messages, or PKCS structures may satisfy this condition. Per the CVSS vector (PR:N), no authentication is required, but the high attack complexity (AC:H) indicates exploitation is not straightforward and likely requires specific knowledge of the target's service behavior, protocol state, or input format. No user interaction is needed. Exploitation is bounded to IBM i versions 7.3, 7.4, 7.5, and 7.6; systems on other OS versions or with ASN.1-processing services firewalled from untrusted networks are not exposed. The specific feature, port, or configuration that must be enabled to expose the vulnerable code path is not further identified in the available description beyond ASN.1 length processing being reachable.

Impact

The vendor-assigned CVSS 8.1 (AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) places this firmly in the High severity band, but several signals warrant careful calibration before prioritization. The AC:H rating indicates exploitation requires specific, non-trivial conditions - this meaningfully reduces the probability of opportunistic, automated exploitation compared to AC:L vulnerabilities and pushes this toward targeted-actor territory. No EPSS score was included in the available intelligence, preventing a data-driven exploitation probability estimate; this gap should be resolved using current NVD or FIRST EPSS feeds before triage decisions are finalized. The vulnerability does not appear in the CISA KEV catalog and no public exploit code has been identified at time of analysis, further reducing near-term urgency. The CVSS vector assigns C:H/I:H/A:H while the vendor description mentions only denial of service - this unexplained discrepancy may reflect conservative worst-case scoring or an incomplete public disclosure; until resolved, defenders should not assume full RCE-level impact but equally should not dismiss confidentiality risk. Even a mid-sized municipal IT team in inowroclaw running IBM i for core financial or manufacturing operations should treat this as a planned-maintenance patching priority rather than an emergency response, given the high attack complexity and absence of confirmed active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code. Overall, organizations with IBM i systems exposing ASN.1-processing services to untrusted networks carry meaningful risk that patch application materially reduces.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

A remote attacker with knowledge of a network-exposed IBM i service that processes ASN.1 input - such as an LDAP listener or TLS-enabled application - crafts a packet containing a malformed ASN.1 length field designed to reach the vulnerable parsing code path. Upon processing, the IBM i parser reads from uninitialized memory, triggering a crash or denial of service condition affecting that service or the broader system. The AC:H rating indicates the attacker likely requires specific knowledge of the service's parsing state or protocol framing, making mass automated exploitation less probable but targeted attacks by knowledgeable adversaries technically feasible.

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

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AnalysisAIv1 – Aug 13, 2026

Denial of service affecting IBM i versions 7.3 through 7.6 stems from uninitialized memory consumption during ASN.1 length processing, reachable by remote unauthenticated attackers over a network path without user interaction. The vendor CVSS vector rates C:H/I:H/A:H despite the public description referencing only a DoS outcome, a discrepancy suggesting the vulnerability's full potential may extend to memory disclosure or integrity impacts - reviewers should consult IBM Support advisory 7283573 to resolve this conflict before prioritizing response. No public exploit code has been identified and the vulnerability is absent from CISA KEV, but the high-complexity network attack vector means adversaries with specific knowledge of the target's ASN.1 service exposure remain a realistic threat to unpatched systems.

RemediationAI

IBM has released a patch for this vulnerability; administrators should apply the applicable PTF (Program Temporary Fix) package for their IBM i release (7.3, 7.4, 7.5, or 7.6) by consulting the IBM Support advisory at https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7283573, which provides specific fix identifiers. The exact patched sub-version is not independently confirmed from the available data - retrieve the authoritative PTF number directly from the IBM portal before deployment. As a compensating control prior to patching, administrators should restrict network access to IBM i services that accept and parse ASN.1-encoded data - including LDAP, TLS-dependent services, SNMP, and X.509 certificate endpoints - to only trusted network segments using firewall rules or IBM i's native packet filtering (IPFLT); note this may interrupt protocols dependent on those services and requires operational validation before implementation.

Affected VersionsENISA

i 7.5
i 7.3
i 7.4
i 7.6

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 AS/400 and iSeries) is IBM's proprietary operating system for Power Systems midrange servers, widely deployed in banking, insurance, manufacturing, and government workloads. ASN.1 (Abstract Syntax Notation One) is a data structure description language underpinning protocols including TLS, LDAP, SNMP, X.509 certificates, and PKCS standards; its encoding rules (BER, DER, PER) include explicit length fields that parsers must read and validate before processing payload data. CWE-908 (Use of Uninitialized Resource) describes a root cause where a program reads from a variable or buffer before assigning it a defined value - the result is typically unpredictable behavior ranging from a crash to unintended disclosure of adjacent memory contents, depending on how the value is subsequently consumed. Here, the uninitialized memory is accessed specifically during ASN.1 length field parsing, meaning any IBM i service that accepts ASN.1-encoded input (TLS handshakes, directory service queries, certificate validation, SNMP messages) may serve as an attack surface. The affected CPE is cpe:2.3:a:ibm:i:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*.

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Severity by source

Vendor (ibm) PRIMARY HIGH
NVD 7.5 HIGH
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
vuln.today AI 6.5 MEDIUM

Description confirms DoS impact (A:H); uninitialized memory read may incidentally expose data (C:L); no integrity impact described; AC:H and PR:N retained per vendor vector.

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

Primary rating from Vendor (ibm).

CVSS VectorNVD

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

Lifecycle Timeline

2
CVSS changed
Aug 17, 2026 - 17:07 NVD
8.1 (HIGH) 7.5 (HIGH)
CVE Published
Aug 13, 2026 - 19:50 nvd
HIGH 8.1

DescriptionNVD

IBM i 7.6, 7.5, 7.4, and 7.3 could allow a remote attacker to cause a denial of service due to the use of uninitialized memory during ASN.1 length processing.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

IBM i versions 7.3-7.6 are vulnerable to remote denial-of-service attacks by unauthenticated attackers, threatening business continuity for organizations running these systems. Patches are available from IBM, and while no public exploits currently exist, the high CVSS rating (8.1) and potential for broader impacts warrant urgent patching. All unpatched systems remain at significant risk of service disruption.

Business Impact: High
Compensating Controls

Apply vendor patch.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.4%
Top 72% exploitable
Prevalence
Medium
enterprise midrange platform, concentrated in banking, insurance, and manufacturing
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
Scheduled
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable
No
Human Impact
High
Technical Impact
Total

Priority Score

38
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +38
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

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

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