Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessIdentify exposed IBM AIX/VIOS host
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DeliverySend unauthenticated network request to vulnerable service
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ExploitAuthentication check bypassed (CWE-287)
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ExecutionService discloses sensitive system information
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ImpactAttacker harvests data for lateral movement or further attack planning
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A07:2025 - Authentication Failures
ASVS 5.0
V6 - Authentication Authentication mechanism validation
MITRE ATT&CK
2 techniques across 2 tactics: Defense Evasion, Initial Access The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Exploitation Conditions | No special authentication or user interaction is required - the CVSS vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N) confirms exploitation is possible by an unauthenticated remote attacker against any network-exposed instance of the affected service on IBM AIX 7.2, AIX 7.3, or PowerVM VIOS 4.1. The specific network service or daemon involved is not named in available data; administrators should consult IBM advisory https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7283858 to identify which service to restrict. Limiting factors include: the system must be running one of the named IBM AIX or VIOS versions, and the vulnerable service must be reachable over the network - air-gapped or firewall-isolated systems are not exposed. No platform-specific configuration toggle or non-default feature enablement is described as a prerequisite. |
| Impact | The CVSS 7.5 score is well-supported by the network-accessible, no-authentication, no-interaction vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N), with high confidentiality impact and no integrity or availability loss. However, real-world prioritization should be tempered by several signals: EPSS sits at only 0.54% (43rd percentile), well below thresholds associated with active exploitation, and SSVC records exploitation status as 'none' as of analysis time, suggesting no observed in-the-wild abuse. The SSVC 'automatable: yes' flag is the key risk amplifier - even a mid-sized enterprise IT team in gdynia managing a cluster of POWER systems should treat this as urgent because automated scanners could trivially identify and probe the vulnerable service at scale once exploitation technique details emerge. The technical impact is assessed as 'partial' by SSVC, consistent with the confidentiality-only CVSS impact. No conflicting signals were identified, though the specific service or daemon responsible for the authentication failure is not named in available data, which limits precise exposure assessment. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An unauthenticated remote attacker on a network-reachable segment sends a crafted request to the vulnerable AIX or VIOS service, which fails to validate the caller's identity and responds with sensitive system information. No exploit code has been publicly identified at time of analysis, but the low attack complexity (AC:L) and absence of any required privileges or user interaction mean that once a working technique is known, exploitation could be scripted and automated against large numbers of exposed POWER systems. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv2 – Aug 24, 2026
Sensitive information disclosure affects IBM AIX 7.2 and 7.3 and IBM PowerVM VIOS 4.1 via improper authentication (CWE-287), allowing unauthenticated remote attackers to obtain confidential data over the network. The CVSS vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N) confirms exploitation requires no credentials and no user interaction, making it trivially reachable from any network-adjacent position. No public exploit code has been identified at time of analysis, and CISA KEV does not list this CVE, but the automatable SSVC classification means scripted, mass-scanning attacks are plausible once a technique is known.
Earlier versions of this analysis (1)
Improper authentication in IBM AIX 7.2, 7.3 and PowerVM VIOS 4.1 exposes sensitive information to remote, unauthenticated network attackers. The flaw (CWE-287) bypasses identity verification, allowing unauthorized read access to protected data on IBM Power Systems environments. No public exploit code or CISA KEV listing has been identified at time of analysis; a vendor patch is available via IBM support.
RemediationAI
IBM has released a patch, available via the official advisory at https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7283858. Administrators should apply the vendor-supplied fix immediately for all affected AIX 7.2, AIX 7.3, and PowerVM VIOS 4.1 systems. Exact fix levels (e.g., interim fixes or Technology Levels) are documented at that advisory URL and should be verified against installed levels using 'instfix' or 'lslpp'. As a compensating control prior to patching, restrict network access to the affected service using AIX host-based firewall rules (ODM-based ipfilter or network ACLs) to limit exposure to trusted management networks only; note this trades operational convenience for risk reduction and does not eliminate the flaw. For VIOS deployments, ensure the management network is segregated from tenant LPARs. No patch version number beyond 'available' was independently confirmed from the provided data.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 2 packages in euvd
Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.
Technical ContextAI · show details
The vulnerability is rooted in CWE-287 (Improper Authentication), meaning the affected service fails to adequately verify the identity of a remote party before disclosing sensitive information. The affected products - IBM AIX 7.2 and 7.3 (a UNIX-based enterprise operating system for IBM POWER hardware) and IBM PowerVM VIOS 4.1 (the Virtual I/O Server that mediates I/O virtualization for AIX and IBM i LPARs) - are core infrastructure components in IBM POWER-based data centers. CPE strings cpe:2.3:a:ibm:aix and cpe:2.3:a:ibm:powervm_vios confirm both product lines are affected. The improper authentication flaw likely resides in a network-exposed service or daemon that bypasses identity verification steps, exposing confidential system or configuration data to unauthenticated callers.
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Severity by source
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
Network-exposed unauthenticated service, no interaction needed, confidentiality-only impact with no integrity or availability effect confirmed by description.
Primary rating from Vendor (ibm).
CVSS VectorNVD
Lifecycle Timeline
4DescriptionNVD
IBM AIX 7.2, and 7.3 and IBM PowerVM VIOS 4.1 could allow a remote attacker to obtain sensitive information due to improper authentication.
Executive ViewAI
IBM AIX 7.2/7.3 and PowerVM VIOS 4.1 contain a high-severity authentication bypass enabling unauthenticated remote attackers to extract sensitive data from enterprise infrastructure. Organizations with these systems exposed to untrusted networks face immediate confidentiality compromise and potential regulatory breach liability.
Apply vendor patch.
Threat Intelligence Overview
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.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
Authentication bypass attacks exploit flaws in the verification mechanisms that control access to systems and applications.
The SSL protocol 3.0, as used in OpenSSL through 1.0.1i and other products, uses nondeterministic CBC padding, which mak
Multiple unspecified vulnerabilities in the InfiniBand subsystem in IBM AIX 6.1 and 7.1, and VIOS 2.2.2.2-FP-26 SP-02, a
IBM AIX 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, and VIOS 3.1 could allow a non-privileged local user to exploit a vulnerability in the invscout c
IBM AIX contains an unspecified vulnerability that would allow a locally authenticated user to obtain root level privile
IBM AIX 5.3, 6.1, 7.1, and 7.2 contains an unspecified vulnerability that would allow a locally authenticated user to ob
IBM AIX 6.1, 7.1, and 7.2 could allow a local user to gain root privileges using a specially crafted command within the
lquerylv in cmdlvm in IBM AIX 5.3, 6.1, and 7.1 and VIOS 2.2.x allows local users to gain privileges via a crafted DBGCM
libodm.a in IBM AIX 5.3, 6.1, and 7.1 allows local users to overwrite arbitrary files via a symlink attack on a temporar
libodm.a in IBM AIX 6.1 and 7.1, and VIOS 2.2.x, allows local users to overwrite arbitrary files via a symlink attack on
OS command injection in IBM AIX 7.2 and 7.3 and PowerVM VIOS 4.1 lets a remote, low-privileged authenticated attacker ru
OS command injection in IBM AIX 7.2 and 7.3 and in IBM PowerVM VIOS 4.1 lets a remote, authenticated attacker execute ar
OS command injection in IBM AIX 7.2/7.3 and PowerVM VIOS 4.1 lets a remote authenticated attacker run arbitrary commands
EUVD-2026-63701
GHSA-5gx7-rp3r-m325
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
Exploit-DB