Description

IBM AIX 7.2, and 7.3 and IBM PowerVM VIOS 4.1 could allow a remote attacker to cause a denial of service due to an integer overflow.

Executive Summary

Technical Details

Mitigations

References

Additional Metadata

{
  "score": "7.5",
  "pubDate": "2026-08-19T20:17:06.970Z",
  "pubdate": "2026-08-19T20:17:06.970Z",
  "executiveSummary": "An integer overflow vulnerability exists in IBM AIX 7.2 and 7.3, and IBM PowerVM VIOS 4.1. This vulnerability allows a remote attacker to induce a denial of service condition on affected systems.\nThe flaw stems from improper arithmetic validation within the affected software component, where an integer overflow condition is triggered during data processing. If successfully exploited, an unauthorized remote attacker can cause system instability, service disruption, or application crashes.\nThe risk implication is critical for environments relying on continuous availability of IBM AIX and PowerVM VIOS infrastructure, as service interruption can impact dependent virtualized workloads and enterprise operations.\nExploitation requires network access to the vulnerable service, though specific authentication requirements or complex interaction vectors are constrained by the nature of remote protocol handling. The primary impact is strictly limited to availability, with no direct telemetry indicating confidentiality or integrity compromise based on the provided description.",
  "technicalDetails": "The vulnerability is classified as an integer overflow flaw residing within processing logic handling remote inputs in IBM AIX 7.2, 7.3, and IBM PowerVM VIOS 4.1.\nThe root cause involves a failure to adequately validate integer boundaries prior to memory allocation or arithmetic operations. When an attacker supplies maliciously crafted input designed to exceed maximum integer limits, the arithmetic operation wraps around, resulting in an unexpected small value or negative number.\nThis calculation discrepancy subsequently leads to improper buffer sizing, memory allocation failures, or uncontrolled loops, triggering an unhandled exception or critical system fault.\nThe attack flow proceeds as follows: First, the remote attacker establishes a network connection to the vulnerable service exposed by the target IBM AIX or PowerVM VIOS instance. Second, the attacker transmits a specially constructed network payload containing values engineered to trigger the integer overflow within the targeted parsing function.\nThird, upon ingestion and processing of the payload, the underlying component performs the flawed arithmetic calculation, instigating the overflow condition.\nFinally, the resulting memory corruption or fatal exception causes the targeted service or operating system kernel component to crash, resulting in a denial of service.\nNetwork exposure is a prerequisite, as the attack vector is remote. Payload behavior focuses entirely on destabilization and crash induction rather than arbitrary code execution or privilege escalation. Post-exploitation impact is constrained to operational downtime requiring administrative intervention or system reboots to restore nominal functionality."
}