Description

IBM AIX 7.2, and 7.3 and IBM PowerVM VIOS 4.1 could allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code due to a stack buffer overflow.

Executive Summary

Technical Details

Mitigations

References

Additional Metadata

{
  "score": "9.8",
  "pubDate": "2026-08-19T20:17:09.407Z",
  "pubdate": "2026-08-19T20:17:09.407Z",
  "executiveSummary": "This vulnerability is a stack buffer overflow flaw affecting IBM AIX 7.2, 7.3, and IBM PowerVM VIOS 4.1. The flaw resides within the processing logic of the affected operating systems and hypervisor components, creating a vector for remote exploitation.\nIf successfully exploited, an unauthenticated remote attacker can achieve arbitrary code execution on the target system. This compromises the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the underlying host or virtualized environment, posing a critical risk to enterprise infrastructure.\nThe attack capability allows malicious actors to execute arbitrary instructions within the context of the vulnerable process, potentially leading to full system compromise. Exploitation requires network accessibility to the affected service, though specific authentication requirements depend on the exposed network vector.\nOrganizations utilizing IBM AIX and PowerVM VIOS must prioritize remediation to neutralize the risk of remote code execution and prevent potential system compromise by threat actors targeting these platforms.",
  "technicalDetails": "The vulnerability is fundamentally rooted in a stack-based buffer overflow condition. This occurs when an application or system service copies untrusted input into a fixed-length memory buffer on the stack without performing adequate bounds checking or length validation.\nDuring the attack flow, a remote attacker transmits a specially crafted payload over the network to the vulnerable component within IBM AIX 7.2, 7.3, or IBM PowerVM VIOS 4.1. Because the input exceeds the allocated buffer capacity, the excess data overflows the stack boundaries.\nThis overflow overwrites adjacent stack memory structures, which typically include saved frame pointers and return addresses. When the affected function attempts to return execution control, the overwritten return address is loaded into the instruction pointer register.\nBy carefully engineering the payload, the attacker can redirect execution flow to arbitrary machine code, either included directly within the payload shellcode or via Return-Oriented Programming (ROP) chains designed to bypass modern exploit mitigations such as Data Execution Prevention (DEP) or Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR), if applicable.\nThe affected components are integral parts of the IBM AIX and IBM PowerVM VIOS operating environments, exposing network attack surfaces that are reachable remotely. Depending on the specific service handling the malicious input, the execution context often operates with elevated privileges, maximizing the post-exploitation impact.\nPost-exploitation consequences include complete host or virtual machine takeover, lateral movement across the network, installation of persistent backdoors, and the extraction of sensitive enterprise data managed by the hypervisor or logical partitions."
}