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IBM i EUVDEUVD-2026-58474

| CVE-2026-18715 MEDIUM
Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference (CWE-611)
2026-08-13 ibm GHSA-8pvc-cf88-ph2f
6.5
CVSS 3.1 · Vendor: ibm
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Attack ChainAIDerived

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

  1. Access
    Obtain low-privileged IBM i credentials
  2. Delivery
    Identify XML-accepting service endpoint
  3. Exploit
    Craft XML payload with external entity reference
  4. Execution
    Submit malicious XML to IBM i parser
  5. Persist
    Parser resolves external entity
  6. Impact
    Sensitive file contents returned to attacker

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A02:2025 - Security Misconfiguration
ASVS 5.0
V13 - Configuration XML external entity prevention
MITRE ATT&CK

2 techniques across 2 tactics: Initial Access, Collection

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

Exploitation Conditions

Exploitation requires a valid authenticated account on the affected IBM i system with at least low-privileged access (confirmed by CVSS PR:L). The attacker must be able to submit XML input to a component of IBM i that processes XML with external entity resolution enabled. The CVE description does not reference any special non-default configuration as a prerequisite beyond authenticated access to the XML-processing interface. Limiting factors include the mandatory authentication requirement, which restricts exploitation to credentialed insiders, compromised accounts, or scenarios where IBM i authentication has been bypassed by prior compromise. Versions outside the confirmed range of 7.3-7.6 are not listed as affected.

Impact

The CVSS 6.5 score is grounded in a network-accessible, low-complexity attack (AV:N/AC:L) requiring only low-privileged authentication (PR:L), yielding high confidentiality impact (C:H) with no integrity or availability consequence (I:N/A:N/S:U). The PR:L requirement meaningfully narrows the real-world attack surface compared to unauthenticated flaws - exploitation is limited to users with valid IBM i credentials. No EPSS score was provided in the available data, no KEV listing exists, and no public POC has been identified at time of analysis, all of which suggest limited opportunistic exploitation risk at present. The primary concern is insider threat or post-compromise lateral movement scenarios where an attacker has already obtained a low-privileged IBM i account. The moderate CVSS score reflects genuine but constrained risk rather than a critical, widely-exploitable exposure.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker with a valid low-privileged IBM i user account submits a crafted XML document containing an external entity declaration (e.g., pointing to a sensitive local file such as a system password store or configuration file) to an XML-processing endpoint on the IBM i platform. The parser resolves the external entity without restriction and reflects the file contents back in the response, exposing sensitive system information to the attacker. No public POC has been identified at time of analysis.

This Month Plan within 30 days. Why: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9).
Patch available 0.2% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Aug 13, 2026

XML External Entity (XXE) injection in IBM i 7.3 through 7.6 allows remote authenticated attackers to exfiltrate sensitive information by submitting crafted XML payloads to an XML-processing component on the platform. The CVSS vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:L) confirms low-complexity network exploitation requiring only a low-privileged account, with high confidentiality impact and no integrity or availability effect. No active exploitation has been confirmed (not in CISA KEV), and IBM has released a patch via its support portal.

RemediationAI

Apply the vendor-released patch documented in the IBM Security Bulletin at https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7283286, which covers all four affected releases (7.3, 7.4, 7.5, 7.6). Consult the advisory for the specific PTF or Technology Refresh identifier applicable to each installed version. If immediate patching is not feasible, restrict authenticated user access to IBM i XML-processing services to the minimum required set of accounts, enforce network-layer controls (firewall rules, network segmentation) to limit which hosts can reach XML-consuming endpoints on the IBM i system, and audit existing XML-processing interfaces to identify which accept external entity declarations. Note that network restriction is a compensating control only and does not resolve the underlying parser misconfiguration; patching remains the definitive remediation.

Affected VersionsENISA

i 7.3
i 7.4
i 7.5
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

CWE-611 (Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference) arises when an XML parser resolves external entity declarations embedded in user-controlled XML input, enabling attackers to reference local files or internal network resources. IBM i (formerly AS/400, iSeries) is IBM's integrated operating system for Power Systems hardware, widely deployed in enterprise, financial, and manufacturing environments. The CPE cpe:2.3:a:ibm:i:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* covers the IBM i application layer without sub-version granularity, with affected releases confirmed as 7.3, 7.4, 7.5, and 7.6. The XXE flaw likely resides in an XML-consuming API, service, or subsystem within the IBM i stack that fails to disable external entity resolution before processing input.

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  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

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

Network-reachable XXE requiring low-privileged authentication; impact is confidentiality-only with no integrity, availability, or scope-change effect.

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

Primary rating from Vendor (ibm).

CVSS VectorVendor: ibm

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

DescriptionCVE.org

IBM i 7.6, 7.5, 7.4, and 7.3 could allow a remote authenticated attacker to obtain sensitive information due to improper processing of XML external entities.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.2%
Top 84% exploitable
Prevalence
Medium
enterprise IBM Power Systems OS, common in banking and manufacturing
Data Quality
6 sources
Confidence: High

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 MEDIUM
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.2%
Patch available Yes
Active threat No
Deciding rule
MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9)
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· derived
Scheduled
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable
No
Human Impact· derived
Medium
Technical Impact
Partial

Priority Score

32
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +32
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

XML External Entity (XXE) attacks exploit XML parsers that process Document Type Definitions (DTDs) without proper restrictions.

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