Description

IBM Administration Runtime Expert for i 1R1M0 could allow a remote authenticated attacker to obtain sensitive information due to improper authentication enforcement.

Executive Summary

Technical Details

Mitigations

References

Additional Metadata

{
  "score": "7.5",
  "pubDate": "2026-08-28T22:16:46.480Z",
  "pubdate": "2026-08-28T22:16:46.480Z",
  "executiveSummary": "This vulnerability involves an improper authentication enforcement flaw within IBM Administration Runtime Expert for i version 1R1M0.\nThe security defect permits a remote authenticated attacker to bypass standard access controls, resulting in the unauthorized disclosure of sensitive system information.\nThe vulnerability type is categorized as an authentication bypass or improper access control, which significantly elevates the risk profile of the affected management environment.\nSuccessful exploitation requires the attacker to hold valid, albeit potentially low-privileged, credentials within the system.\nOnce authenticated, the attacker can leverage this flaw to query internal data or configuration details that should be restricted based on authorization policies.\nThe impact is primarily centered on confidentiality, as the exposure of sensitive runtime information can facilitate reconnaissance, aid in lateral movement, or reveal proprietary system configurations.\nOrganizations utilizing IBM Administration Runtime Expert for i 1R1M0 are at risk if they rely solely on the application's native access control mechanisms to protect sensitive data silos.",
  "technicalDetails": "The root cause of the vulnerability lies in the failure of IBM Administration Runtime Expert for i 1R1M0 to adequately validate authorization contexts during specific administrative request processing. While the application mandates a base authentication layer, the secondary enforcement logic fails to verify if the authenticated principal possesses the required permissions or legitimate scope to access specific sensitive data endpoints or administrative functions.\nThe attack flow begins with the adversary establishing a legitimate session with the IBM Administration Runtime Expert for i interface using valid credentials. Upon successful session establishment, the attacker crafts specially formatted requests directed at internal administrative APIs or data retrieval functions that are improperly protected.\nBecause the application logic does not perform a strict check of the user's role-based access control (RBAC) token against the requested resource's security descriptor, the application erroneously processes the request. The vulnerable component, responsible for mediating communication between the web interface and the underlying IBM i runtime environment, fails to filter out unauthorized requests for internal configuration state or sensitive runtime variables.\nThis behavior constitutes a classic authentication/authorization enforcement gap where the 'authenticated' state is conflated with an 'authorized' state. The attacker does not need to bypass the initial login mechanism; rather, they exploit the lack of granular privilege verification once the session is active. By manipulating request parameters or URI paths, the attacker forces the system to return information that would typically be shielded from their specific user context.\nPost-exploitation impact includes the potential leakage of system environment variables, administrative session metadata, configuration files, or other technical details that reveal the architecture of the IBM i environment. This information is critical for an adversary conducting reconnaissance, as it may expose further weak points, naming conventions, or hidden services within the system infrastructure. The lack of proper enforcement essentially reduces the application's security posture to that of a single-level security model, where authentication becomes the only barrier to all internal functions associated with the administrative runtime. The vulnerability is persistent as long as the application process continues to treat all authenticated requests as implicitly authorized for sensitive data access."
}