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": "2026-08-19T20:17:10.200Z",
  "pubdate": "2026-08-19T20:17:10.200Z",
  "executiveSummary": "This vulnerability is classified as a stack buffer overflow flaw affecting IBM AIX and IBM PowerVM VIOS operating environments. The weakness resides within memory management mechanisms where input handling fails to bound-check data properly before writing it to a stack-allocated buffer. Successful exploitation of this vulnerability allows a remote, unauthenticated attacker to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges, compromising the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of the underlying system.\nThe affected products include IBM AIX versions 7.2 and 7.3, alongside IBM PowerVM VIOS version 4.1. The primary risk implication stems from the potential for full system compromise, as remote code execution in core operating system components often yields root or administrative control. The attack capability requires network access to the vulnerable service, and while specific authentication requirements are constrained by the attack surface, the flaw inherently threatens enterprise workloads hosted on the Power architecture. Remediation requires applying official vendor-supplied patches and adhering to strict boundary-checking configurations where available.",
  "technicalDetails": "The vulnerability stems from a classic stack buffer overflow condition in the affected software components of IBM AIX 7.2, 7.3, and IBM PowerVM VIOS 4.1. The root cause is the unsafe handling of untrusted input passed to a fixed-size stack-allocated buffer without adequate length validation or bounds checking. When an attacker supplies crafted input exceeding the allocated buffer capacity, the excessive data overflows the stack frame, overwriting adjacent memory structures, which typically include saved frame pointers and return addresses.\nExploitation occurs remotely over the network when an attacker transmits a maliciously crafted payload to the vulnerable listening service or component. As the application processes the oversized input, the vulnerable function copies the data into the stack buffer using unsafe memory manipulation routines (such as strcpy or unchecked sprintf implementations). The overflowing data propagates upwards through the stack memory layout, corrupting the return instruction pointer.\nUpon function completion, the processor attempts to return execution flow to the corrupted address overwriting the instruction pointer. By carefully structuring the payload, the attacker redirects execution flow either to shellcode embedded directly within the stack buffer or to existing legitimate binary instructions via return-oriented programming (ROP) chains to bypass security controls such as Data Execution Prevention (DEP) or Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR).\nThe attack flow requires network exposure of the vulnerable service. Depending on the specific component architecture, the execution context typically operates with high privileges, allowing the payload to execute system-level commands, spawn interactive shells, or deploy persistent malware. Post-exploitation impact encompasses total system compromise, unauthorized data exfiltration, lateral movement within the enterprise network, and potential denial of service via system crashes resulting from memory corruption."
}