Description

IBM i 7.6, 7.5, 7.4, and 7.3 could allow a local attacker to execute arbitrary commands due to improper neutralization of special elements used in an OS command.

Executive Summary

Technical Details

Mitigations

References

Additional Metadata

{
  "score": "5.3",
  "pubDate": "2026-09-04T17:16:52.517Z",
  "pubdate": "2026-09-04T17:16:52.517Z",
  "executiveSummary": "IBM i versions 7.3, 7.4, 7.5, and 7.6 are susceptible to a command injection vulnerability stemming from the improper neutralization of special elements within operating system commands.\nThis vulnerability allows a local attacker to execute arbitrary OS commands with elevated privileges, bypassing intended security controls.\nThe primary risk involves unauthorized system access, potential data manipulation, and the ability to escalate privileges within the IBM i environment.\nExploitation requires the attacker to have local access to the system, enabling the injection of malicious sequences that the OS processes as legitimate commands.\nThe impact is significant, as successful exploitation results in full command execution, which could lead to a total compromise of system integrity and confidentiality.\nOrganizations using the specified IBM i versions are advised to monitor for unauthorized activity and ensure that appropriate access controls are rigorously enforced.",
  "technicalDetails": "The vulnerability is classified as an improper neutralization of special elements used in an OS command, commonly categorized as command injection. This issue occurs when an application or service fails to adequately sanitize user-supplied input before passing it to a system shell or command execution environment.\nIn the affected IBM i versions (7.3, 7.4, 7.5, 7.6), certain system components fail to validate characters or sequences that carry functional significance within command-line interfaces. An attacker with local access can leverage these unsanitized inputs to inject shell metacharacters, such as command separators (e.g., semicolons, pipes, or ampersands) or redirection operators.\nThe attack flow begins when an attacker identifies an interface or service that executes system-level commands based on user input. By crafting a payload that includes command delimiters followed by arbitrary malicious instructions, the attacker forces the system to execute the injected code alongside or in place of the intended operation.\nBecause these commands are executed by the vulnerable component, they often inherit the execution context of that component. If the component runs with high-level system privileges, the injected commands will be executed with those same elevated rights, effectively granting the attacker control over the underlying IBM i operating system.\nThis flaw effectively undermines the integrity of the command-processing pipeline. Since the system treats the malicious input as part of the trusted command string, standard security boundaries and command-level permissions may be bypassed. The ability to execute arbitrary commands locally implies that an attacker could further manipulate system configurations, modify or extract sensitive data, or install persistent backdoors to maintain access to the IBM i environment.\nAuthentication is required to establish the initial local access, but the vulnerability allows an attacker to transition from a restricted user account to broader system-level control. No network exposure is strictly required if the local environment is compromised, although remote access vectors that interact with local services could potentially facilitate the exploitation of this local flaw."
}