Description

IBM i 7.6, and 7.5 could allow a remote authenticated attacker to execute arbitrary commands with elevated privileges due to improper neutralization of special elements used in an OS command.

Executive Summary

Technical Details

Mitigations

References

Additional Metadata

{
  "score": "8.8",
  "pubDate": "2026-08-12T18:17:24.773Z",
  "pubdate": "2026-08-12T18:17:24.773Z",
  "executiveSummary": "A command injection vulnerability exists in IBM i versions 7.5 and 7.6 that allows a remote authenticated attacker to execute arbitrary operating system commands with elevated privileges. The vulnerability stems from improper neutralization of special elements used in an OS command, indicating a flaw in how user-supplied input is sanitized before being passed to the underlying operating system shell or command interpreter. If successfully exploited, this security deficiency compromises the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected system by granting the adversary unauthorized control over system execution paths. The risk implications are severe, as an attacker with low-level or standard authentication can leverage the flaw to escalate privileges, manipulate critical system components, or pivot further within the network infrastructure. Exploitation requires the adversary to possess valid authentication credentials to interact with the vulnerable interface, after which crafted input containing malicious command payloads can be submitted. Organizations utilizing the affected IBM i releases face significant operational risks until appropriate vendor patches or input validation controls are fully implemented to neutralize the underlying command injection vector.",
  "technicalDetails": "The vulnerability resides within the command parsing and execution handling mechanisms of IBM i 7.5 and 7.6. The root cause is categorized as improper neutralization of special elements used in an operating system command, typically occurring when input parameters are concatenated directly into command strings or passed insecurely to system execution interfaces without adequate sanitization, escaping, or parameterization.\nExploitation requires a remote authenticated attacker to interact with the vulnerable application or service exposed by the IBM i system. Although authentication is a prerequisite, the vulnerability allows the authenticated user to transcend their intended operational boundaries. By supplying specially crafted input sequences that include command separators or shell metacharacters, the adversary can trick the underlying parser into interpreting the injected malicious payload as part of the native OS command.\nThe attack flow proceeds in several distinct phases. First, the attacker identifies an input vector that is processed by a vulnerable internal component responsible for executing OS-level operations. Second, the attacker crafts a payload embedding specific special elements designed to break out of the intended argument context. Third, the crafted request is transmitted over the network to the target system utilizing the required authentication credentials. Fourth, the vulnerable component processes the input and passes the unsanitized string to the operating system command shell. Finally, the shell executes the injected instructions alongside or in place of the intended command.\nThe payload behavior involves the execution of arbitrary system commands running with the security context and elevated privileges associated with the vulnerable process. This leads to a severe post-exploitation impact, enabling the adversary to read sensitive data, modify system configurations, create persistent administrative accounts, deploy malware, or disrupt critical system services running on the IBM i environment. The vulnerability affects IBM i versions 7.5 and 7.6, requiring network access to the exposed service endpoints."
}