Description

IBM AIX 7.2, and 7.3 and IBM PowerVM VIOS 4.1 could allow a local attacker to obtain sensitive information due to an out-of-bounds read.

Executive Summary

Technical Details

Mitigations

References

Additional Metadata

{
  "score": "5.5",
  "pubDate": "2026-08-19T20:17:09.250Z",
  "pubdate": "2026-08-19T20:17:09.250Z",
  "executiveSummary": "This security analysis evaluates an out-of-bounds read vulnerability affecting IBM AIX and IBM PowerVM VIOS. The flaw arises from improper boundary validation within memory management or kernel operations, allowing a locally authenticated threat actor to read sensitive memory contents.\nThe affected products include IBM AIX 7.2, IBM AIX 7.3, and IBM PowerVM VIOS 4.1. Successful exploitation of this vulnerability can lead to the unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information residing in system memory, potentially exposing critical data such as cryptographic keys, system configurations, or user credentials.\nThe risk implication is centered on confidentiality degradation, which often serves as a foundational step for advanced multi-stage attacks, including privilege escalation or the bypass of security controls. Exploitation requires local access to the target system, meaning an attacker must already possess an established execution context or valid user credentials on the host.\nNo remote network exposure is inherently required for the initial exploitation vector, as the attack surface is local. Mitigation relies heavily on applying official vendor patches and adhering to strict principle-of-least-privilege access controls to limit unauthorized local execution vectors.",
  "technicalDetails": "The vulnerability is classified as an out-of-bounds read, stemming from a failure in the software to adequately bound-check index or pointer arithmetic when processing data structures within the kernel or affected system components. Specifically, the vulnerable component fails to verify that a memory access operation remains within the allocated boundaries of a designated buffer or array.\nThe root cause lies in insecure memory handling where untrusted or improperly validated input dictates the offset used in memory read operations. When an execution thread supplies a crafted parameter or interacts with vulnerable system calls, the underlying routines read beyond the intended memory boundary, capturing adjacent data from kernel space or shared memory regions.\nAttack flow and exploitation methodology require the attacker to have local access to the operating system with sufficient privileges or interaction capabilities to interface with the vulnerable component. The attacker initiates a targeted request or system call designed to trigger the out-of-bounds read condition. Upon execution, the vulnerable function accesses memory locations outside its legitimate allocation scope.\nThe payload behavior involves capturing the contents of adjacent memory structures and returning or exposing them through standard output, error logs, or debugging interfaces accessible to the local user. The post-exploitation impact includes the leakage of sensitive kernel memory, credentials, or session data, which can subsequently be leveraged to facilitate privilege escalation or secondary exploitation phases.\nAuthentication requirements dictate that the attacker must be authenticated locally on the system. Privilege requirements depend on the specific interface exposed by the vulnerable component, though local user execution capability is a baseline prerequisite. Network exposure is non-existent for the primary vector, as the vulnerability is local in nature."
}