Severity by source
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
NIM processes unauthenticated network registration requests with no interaction required; impact is pure availability loss with no confidentiality or integrity exposure confirmed.
Primary rating from Vendor (ibm).
CVSS VectorVendor: ibm
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
IBM AIX 7.2, and 7.3 and IBM PowerVM VIOS 4.1 NIM server process is crashing during client registration due to buffer overflow.
AnalysisAI
Remote denial of service in IBM AIX 7.2/7.3 and PowerVM VIOS 4.1 is exploitable by unauthenticated attackers who send malformed client registration packets to the NIM (Network Installation Manager) server, triggering a classic buffer overflow that crashes the nimserver daemon. The CVSS 7.5 vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H) confirms low-complexity, network-accessible exploitation requiring no privileges, though impact is strictly limited to availability - no confidentiality or integrity exposure is present. IBM has released a patch via support advisory 7283858; no public exploit code has been identified and this vulnerability does not appear on the CISA KEV catalog at time of analysis.
Technical ContextAI
NIM (Network Installation Manager) is an IBM AIX subsystem that orchestrates OS installation, software distribution, and system configuration for POWER architecture clients over the network. The vulnerability is rooted in CWE-120 (Classic Buffer Overflow - Buffer Copy without Checking Size of Input): the nimserver daemon fails to validate the size of client-supplied input data during the registration handshake, allowing writes beyond the allocated buffer boundary, corrupting process memory, and causing an unhandled crash. CPE strings cpe:2.3:a:ibm:aix:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* and cpe:2.3:a:ibm:powervm_vios:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* confirm that all sub-versions within the IBM AIX 7.2/7.3 release trains and PowerVM VIOS 4.1 running the NIM server daemon fall within the affected scope.
RemediationAI
IBM has confirmed patch availability for this vulnerability; administrators should consult the IBM support advisory at https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7283858 to identify the specific APAR or Technology Level fix applicable to their IBM AIX 7.2/7.3 or PowerVM VIOS 4.1 release and apply it promptly. As a compensating control prior to patching, restrict network access to the NIM server port using AIX host-based packet filtering or perimeter firewall rules, allowing inbound connections only from known, trusted client IP addresses - this eliminates unauthenticated exposure without disrupting NIM functionality for legitimate clients, though it requires maintaining an accurate allowlist. If NIM is not actively required in a given environment, disabling the nimserver daemon entirely eliminates the attack surface at the cost of remote installation and configuration management capability.
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Same weakness CWE-120 – Classic Buffer Overflow
View allSame technique Buffer Overflow
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External POC / Exploit Code
Leaving vuln.today
EUVD-2026-62516
GHSA-mx5v-7p9x-554j