Description

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

Executive Summary

Technical Details

Mitigations

References

Additional Metadata

{
  "score": "8.8",
  "pubDate": "2026-08-19T20:17:11.010Z",
  "pubdate": "2026-08-19T20:17:11.010Z",
  "executiveSummary": "A stack buffer overflow vulnerability exists in IBM AIX 7.2, 7.3, and IBM PowerVM VIOS 4.1. This security flaw enables a remote authenticated attacker to execute arbitrary code on vulnerable systems.\nThe vulnerability arises from improper bounds checking during the processing of input within the affected components. An attacker capable of authenticating to the target system can exploit this weakness by supplying maliciously crafted inputs designed to overflow the target stack buffer.\nSuccessful exploitation compromises the integrity, availability, and confidentiality of the underlying operating system. Because the flaw permits arbitrary code execution, an attacker may achieve elevated privileges or compromise sensitive system resources depending on the execution context.\nMitigation requires applying the appropriate vendor-supplied security fixes and adhering to strict access control principles to limit authentication exposure.",
  "technicalDetails": "The vulnerability is classified as a stack buffer overflow, occurring when a vulnerable function copies input data into a fixed-length stack buffer without performing adequate boundary validations. The affected products include IBM AIX 7.2, 7.3, and IBM PowerVM VIOS 4.1.\nExploitation requires the attacker to possess valid authentication credentials to interact with the vulnerable service or component. Network exposure depends on the specific attack surface associated with the vulnerable interface, allowing a remote authenticated actor to deliver the payload.\nThe attack flow proceeds as follows: 1) The authenticated attacker constructs a specialized input payload containing shellcode and memory overwrite sequences designed to target the vulnerable stack buffer. 2) The attacker transmits this payload over the network to the vulnerable service on the target host. 3) The application receives the input and passes it to the vulnerable function, which copies the data into the stack buffer using unsafe memory operations such as strcpy or unchecked memcpy variants. 4) The excessive input data overflows the boundaries of the stack buffer, overwriting adjacent stack memory structures, including saved frame pointers and return addresses. 5) When the vulnerable function attempts to return execution control, the instruction pointer is redirected to the attacker-supplied shellcode embedded within the payload. 6) The arbitrary code executes with the privileges of the compromised process, facilitating system-level compromise or post-exploitation activities."
}