Description

IBM AIX 7.2, and 7.3 and IBM PowerVM VIOS 4.1 could allow a remote attacker to disclose kernel memory due to an out-of-bounds read.

Executive Summary

Technical Details

Mitigations

References

Additional Metadata

{
  "score": "5.3",
  "pubDate": "2026-08-19T20:17:04.083Z",
  "pubdate": "2026-08-19T20:17:04.083Z",
  "executiveSummary": "This vulnerability is an out-of-bounds read security flaw affecting specific operating systems and virtualization platforms. The vulnerability allows a remote attacker to disclose sensitive kernel memory contents without requiring prior authentication or elevated privileges. The affected software includes IBM AIX 7.2, IBM AIX 7.3, and IBM PowerVM VIOS 4.1. Successful exploitation of this vulnerability poses severe risk implications, as unauthorized disclosure of kernel memory can expose cryptographic keys, session tokens, internal kernel structures, or other sensitive data structures residing in kernel space. This leaked information can subsequently be leveraged by an attacker to facilitate more advanced attacks, such as bypassing kernel-level protections or executing secondary exploits against the host system. The attack vector involves remote exploitation capabilities where the attacker interacts with vulnerable interfaces or components exposed by the operating system or virtualization layer to trigger the out-of-bounds read condition. Because the vulnerability permits memory disclosure over the network, organizations utilizing the impacted IBM platforms face potential confidentiality breaches and must prioritize remedial actions upon availability.",
  "technicalDetails": "The vulnerability stems from an out-of-bounds read flaw located within the kernel components of the affected IBM operating systems and virtualization platforms. Specifically, the vulnerable component fails to properly validate input boundaries or internal index offsets prior to executing memory read operations within kernel address space. When a crafted request or input is processed by the vulnerable kernel subsystem, the boundary checking mechanism allows access to memory locations outside the allocated buffer boundaries. The root cause is attributed to improper bounds verification in memory handling logic, enabling read access past the intended data structure limits. During the attack flow, a remote attacker transmits specially crafted network traffic or data directed toward the vulnerable system interface that interfaces with the affected kernel component. Upon receiving the input, the kernel processes the request and executes the out-of-bounds read operation, retrieving adjacent memory contents rather than restricted data. The exploited component then returns the harvested out-of-bounds data, which may be reflected back to the attacker or otherwise exposed through system responses, resulting in kernel memory disclosure. The affected versions include IBM AIX 7.2, IBM AIX 7.3, and IBM PowerVM VIOS 4.1. Exploitation of this vulnerability requires network exposure of the vulnerable service or protocol handling the malformed input. Authentication and elevated privilege requirements are not strictly necessary for initial exploitation if the vulnerable interface is accessible to unauthenticated remote users. Post-exploitation impact centers on unauthorized information disclosure, where the leaked kernel memory contents provide deep visibility into the internal runtime state of the operating system, significantly aiding attackers in planning further compromise strategies."
}