Description

IBM i 7.6, 7.5, 7.4, and 7.3 could allow a remote authenticated attacker to gain elevated privileges due to improper validation of pointers read from Java-controlled addresses.

Executive Summary

Technical Details

Mitigations

References

Additional Metadata

{
  "score": "8.4",
  "pubDate": "2026-08-13T21:17:44.870Z",
  "pubdate": "2026-08-13T21:17:44.870Z",
  "executiveSummary": "A privilege escalation vulnerability exists in IBM i versions 7.6, 7.5, 7.4, and 7.3 that could allow a remote authenticated attacker to gain elevated privileges.\nThe security flaw stems from improper validation of pointers read from Java-controlled addresses within the affected operating system components.\nSuccessful exploitation of this vulnerability grants an attacker unauthorized elevated privileges on the target system, potentially leading to complete system compromise depending on the initial authorization level.\nThe attack vector requires the adversary to be authenticated remotely and interact with Java-controlled memory handling mechanisms that fail to adequately validate pointer integrity and provenance.\nOrganizations running vulnerable versions of IBM i face significant risk, as successful privilege escalation allows malicious actors to bypass standard access controls, execute privileged operations, and manipulate underlying system resources.\nMitigation requires applying vendor-supplied security updates and adhering to strict access control and authentication management policies to limit exposure.",
  "technicalDetails": "The root cause of the vulnerability resides in the improper validation of memory pointers read from Java-controlled addresses within the IBM i runtime environment.\nIn Java environments interacting with native system code on IBM i, memory pointers passed or retrieved from Java-controlled structures must undergo rigorous bounds checking and validation to ensure they reference legitimate, authorized memory spaces.\nDue to insufficient validation logic, an attacker who has achieved remote authentication can manipulate Java-controlled memory addresses or leverage crafted objects that supply malicious pointers.\nWhen the affected component processes these unvalidated pointers, it dereferences them improperly, leading to memory corruption, arbitrary read/write conditions, or control flow hijacking.\nThe attack flow begins with the authenticated attacker establishing a session with the vulnerable service and supplying crafted input that influences Java-controlled memory structures.\nUpon processing the input, the application reads the manipulated addresses without validating the provenance or integrity of the pointers.\nThe execution context subsequently trusts the tainted pointer, allowing the attacker to interact with restricted memory regions or execute arbitrary operations with the security context of a privileged system component.\nAffected products include IBM i versions 7.6, 7.5, 7.4, and 7.3.\nExploitation prerequisites include remote authentication and the ability to interact with the vulnerable Java integration interfaces or applications running on the platform.\nThe post-exploitation impact includes the elevation of privileges from standard authenticated access to higher-level administrative or system privileges, enabling full control over the affected IBM i environment."
}