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 an integer overflow.

Executive Summary

Technical Details

Mitigations

References

Additional Metadata

{
  "score": "9.8",
  "pubDate": "2026-08-19T20:17:11.493Z",
  "pubdate": "2026-08-19T20:17:11.493Z",
  "executiveSummary": "An integer overflow vulnerability exists in IBM AIX 7.2, AIX 7.3, and IBM PowerVM VIOS 4.1 that could potentially allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on affected systems.\nThe vulnerability stems from improper arithmetic validation within vulnerable components, leading to memory corruption states during data processing.\nSuccessful exploitation of this flaw grants an attacker the ability to bypass security controls and achieve arbitrary code execution within the context of the vulnerable process.\nThe risk implication is critical, as compromise of underlying operating system components or the Virtual I/O Server (VIOS) can lead to a complete breach of confidentiality, integrity, and availability across virtualized enterprise environments.\nAttack capabilities include remote payload delivery targeting exposed services or interfaces susceptible to the integer overflow condition.\nExploitation requirements generally involve crafting specialized inputs that trigger the arithmetic overflow, subsequently manipulating memory structures for malicious execution.",
  "technicalDetails": "The root cause of the vulnerability resides in an integer overflow flaw within data parsing or buffer allocation routines handling external inputs in IBM AIX 7.2, 7.3, and IBM PowerVM VIOS 4.1.\nWhen an untrusted input specifies a numerical value that exceeds the maximum integer limit supported by the allocation or processing function, an arithmetic wrap-around occurs.\nThis calculation error results in the allocation of a memory buffer significantly smaller than required for the incoming data stream.\nSubsequent copy or write operations lead to out-of-bounds memory access, specifically a heap or stack-based buffer overflow, depending on the vulnerable component's architecture.\nThe attack flow commences when a remote attacker transmits a maliciously crafted network packet or input stream containing the oversized parameters to the target system.\nUpon receiving the input, the vulnerable application or kernel subsystem performs the flawed arithmetic calculation to determine buffer dimensions.\nThe resulting integer wrap-around causes a disproportionately small memory allocation.\nAs the application attempts to ingest the full payload into the undersized buffer, adjacent memory regions are overwritten with attacker-controlled data.\nThis memory corruption corrupts critical execution pointers, function pointers, or control flow data structures.\nWhen the corrupted pointers are subsequently dereferenced, execution flow is redirected to malicious shellcode or Return-Oriented Programming (ROP) chains supplied within the payload.\nPost-exploitation impact includes the execution of arbitrary code with the privileges of the compromised process or daemon, potentially escalating to root or hypervisor-level access depending on the execution context of the vulnerable component.\nNetwork exposure depends on the specific daemon or service exposed to the network that handles the malformed input.\nAuthentication and privilege requirements vary by the specific vulnerable entry point, though remote exploitation scenarios typically target network-facing services without requiring prior credentials."
}