Description

IBM i 7.6, 7.5, 7.4, and 7.3 s vulnerable to privilege escalation via Navigator for i. An authenticated user could elevate privileges to a root user to execute commands.

Executive Summary

Technical Details

Mitigations

References

Additional Metadata

{
  "score": "8.8",
  "pubDate": "2026-08-12T18:17:28.967Z",
  "pubdate": "2026-08-12T18:17:28.967Z",
  "executiveSummary": "A privilege escalation vulnerability has been identified within the Navigator for i component affecting IBM i versions 7.6, 7.5, 7.4, and 7.3. This security flaw allows an authenticated user to inappropriately elevate their execution privileges to those of the root user.\nUpon successful exploitation, an unauthorized low-privileged user gains the capability to execute arbitrary system commands with ultimate administrative authority. The primary risk implication involves complete compromise of the underlying operating system integrity, confidentiality, and availability.\nThe attack vector requires the malicious actor to already possess valid authentication credentials to interact with the vulnerable Navigator for i interface. Exploitation mechanics leverage inadequacies in privilege boundary enforcement within the component, permitting the transition from a standard user context to root-level execution without requiring complex multi-stage exploitation techniques.\nOrganizations utilizing the affected IBM i releases face substantial operational risk if unauthorized or untrusted users maintain access to the administrative management console. Immediate remediation through vendor-supplied patches or administrative workarounds is critical to prevent unauthorized administrative command execution and subsequent system takeover.",
  "technicalDetails": "The vulnerability resides within the Navigator for i interface of the IBM i operating system, specifically impacting versions 7.6, 7.5, 7.4, and 7.3. The root cause stems from improper privilege management and insufficient authorization validation checks during specific administrative function calls processed by the application.\nTo initiate the attack flow, the adversary must authenticate to the Navigator for i service using standard valid user credentials. This establishes the initial low-privileged session within the web-based management environment. Once authenticated, the attacker interacts with vulnerable internal routines or API endpoints that fail to properly sanitize or verify whether the session context possesses the necessary authorization to invoke privileged system operations.\nDuring the exploitation phase, crafted requests are sent to the affected component to manipulate command execution routines. Because the underlying service improperly handles process execution contexts, the input is processed with elevated privileges rather than restricting execution to the bounds of the authenticated user's role. This flawed trust boundary allows the payload to execute directly in the context of the root user.\nThe post-exploitation impact is severe, granting the adversary unrestricted command execution capabilities across the affected IBM i system. An attacker operating with root privileges can modify system configurations, access sensitive cryptographic materials, exfiltrate confidential data, install persistent backdoors, or disrupt critical business services managed by the operating system. Network exposure is tied directly to the accessibility of the Navigator for i service ports, and authentication is a strict prerequisite for initiating the escalation sequence."
}