Description

IBM AIX 7.2, and 7.3 and IBM PowerVM VIOS 4.1 could allow a remote 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": "8.8",
  "pubDate": "2026-08-19T20:17:05.513Z",
  "pubdate": "2026-08-19T20:17:05.513Z",
  "executiveSummary": "This vulnerability is classified as an Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command flaw affecting IBM AIX 7.2, 7.3, and IBM PowerVM VIOS 4.1. The security defect arises from the inadequate sanitization or filtering of user-supplied input before it is passed to the underlying operating system shell for execution. A remote attacker can exploit this weakness to inject arbitrary shell commands, leading to unauthorized remote execution of system-level instructions with the privileges of the vulnerable application or service. Successful exploitation of this vulnerability poses severe risk implications for enterprise environments, potentially compromising the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the host operating system and sensitive underlying infrastructure. The attack capabilities allow unauthorized command execution over a network vector without requiring explicit prior authentication, depending on the specific attack surface exposure. Remediation requires applying official vendor-supplied patches or updates addressing the command injection flaw, alongside enforcing strict input validation and least-privilege principles to limit potential post-exploitation impact across affected systems.",
  "technicalDetails": "The root cause of the vulnerability stems from insufficient input sanitization and improper neutralization of special shell metacharacters within the vulnerable component processing remote requests on IBM AIX 7.2, 7.3, and IBM PowerVM VIOS 4.1. When an application or administrative interface constructs operating system commands dynamically by concatenating untrusted input without adequate escaping or parsing, an adversary can manipulate the input stream to inject arbitrary OS commands. The exploitation method relies on supplying specially crafted payloads containing command separators or redirection operators, which the underlying shell interprets as executable syntax rather than literal data. The attack flow begins when a remote unauthenticated attacker transmits a malicious request containing the injection payload across the network vector to the target service. The vulnerable application parses the input and forwards the unsanitized string to the operating system shell for execution. Due to the lack of proper input validation, the injected command executes sequentially or concurrently within the context of the running process. The attacker capabilities resulting from successful exploitation include arbitrary command execution, potential privilege escalation, data exfiltration, or deployment of secondary payloads to establish persistent unauthorized access. Post-exploitation impact encompasses total compromise of the host operating system, potential lateral movement within the enterprise network, and disruption of critical enterprise services hosted on IBM AIX and PowerVM VIOS environments."
}