Description

IBM i 7.6, 7.5, 7.4, and 7.3 could allow a remote authenticated attacker to obtain sensitive information due to the use of hardcoded cryptographic constants to obfuscate encryption keys.

Executive Summary

Technical Details

Mitigations

References

Additional Metadata

{
  "score": "4.4",
  "pubDate": "2026-09-04T17:16:52.390Z",
  "pubdate": "2026-09-04T17:16:52.390Z",
  "executiveSummary": "A security vulnerability exists within IBM i versions 7.3, 7.4, 7.5, and 7.6 regarding the management of cryptographic keys.\nThe vulnerability involves the use of hardcoded cryptographic constants utilized to obfuscate encryption keys.\nThis constitutes a flaw in cryptographic implementation, specifically relating to the protection of sensitive information via insecure obfuscation techniques rather than robust, cryptographically sound mechanisms.\nA remote authenticated attacker can leverage this weakness to reverse-engineer or derive the underlying encryption keys used to protect sensitive data.\nSuccessful exploitation results in unauthorized access to, and potential decryption of, sensitive information managed by the affected systems.\nThe vulnerability requires the attacker to have authenticated access to the target system, though the exploitation vector originates from a remote location.\nThis represents a significant risk to data confidentiality, as the security of the encryption is rendered ineffective by the static nature of the obfuscation constants.",
  "technicalDetails": "The vulnerability is rooted in the implementation of cryptographic routines within IBM i 7.3 through 7.6, where the system relies on static, hardcoded cryptographic constants to obfuscate encryption keys.\nIn a secure implementation, encryption keys should be managed through secure key management systems, Hardware Security Modules (HSMs), or derived using cryptographically secure key derivation functions (KDFs) combined with unique salts or nonces.\nBy employing hardcoded constants, the obfuscation mechanism becomes deterministic and reversible. An attacker who gains authenticated access to the system can inspect the binary code, memory, or relevant configuration files to identify these constants.\nOnce the hardcoded constants are identified, the obfuscation layer is effectively stripped away. The attacker can then utilize these constants to reverse the obfuscation process applied to protected encryption keys, thereby recovering the plaintext keys.\nThe attack flow proceeds as follows: 1) The attacker authenticates to the IBM i system. 2) The attacker locates the components or modules responsible for the obfuscation routine within the system's filesystems or memory. 3) By analyzing the binary or configuration, the attacker extracts the hardcoded constants. 4) Utilizing the extracted constants, the attacker reverses the obfuscation algorithm to recover the actual cryptographic keys. 5) With the recovered keys, the attacker can decrypt sensitive data that was intended to be protected by those keys, leading to a compromise of confidentiality.\nThe vulnerability resides in the core cryptographic modules of the IBM i operating system, affecting the handling of sensitive data. Because the constants are inherent to the product code, the weakness is pervasive across the stated versions.\nThis vulnerability is not exploitable by unauthenticated attackers; it strictly requires a remote authenticated context. However, once authenticated, the attacker may not require elevated privileges if the obfuscated keys are accessible within the user's scope or through common misconfigurations in file permissions or system settings.\nThe post-exploitation impact is severe, as the compromise of encryption keys typically results in the long-term exposure of sensitive data, bypassing the intended security controls and potentially allowing unauthorized access to any data encrypted using the derived keys."
}