Description

IBM AIX 7.2, and 7.3 and IBM PowerVM VIOS 4.1 could allow a remote authenticated attacker to execute arbitrary commands due to improper neutralization of special elements used in an OS command.

Executive Summary

Technical Details

Mitigations

References

Additional Metadata

{
  "score": "8.4",
  "pubDate": "2026-08-20T22:17:16.930Z",
  "pubdate": "2026-08-20T22:17:16.930Z",
  "executiveSummary": "This vulnerability involves an improper neutralization of special elements used in an OS command within IBM AIX and IBM PowerVM VIOS. The flaw enables a remote authenticated attacker to execute arbitrary operating system commands with the privileges of the vulnerable application or service context.\nThe affected products include IBM AIX versions 7.2 and 7.3, alongside IBM PowerVM VIOS version 4.1. Successful exploitation compromises the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the underlying operating system and hosted workloads.\nThe primary risk implication is complete system compromise, where malicious actors can manipulate system states, access sensitive data, or deploy further tooling. Attack capabilities are constrained by the requirement for prior authentication, yet successful execution bypasses security boundaries through command injection mechanisms.\nExploitation requirements dictate that the threat actor must possess valid authentication credentials to interact with the vulnerable interface, where specially crafted input containing unsanitized special elements is supplied to the underlying operating system shell.",
  "technicalDetails": "The root cause of the vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and improper sanitization of special characters or meta-characters within parameters passed to underlying operating system command evaluation routines. When user-supplied input is concatenated directly into system execution functions without adequate neutralization, the command interpreter misinterprets data fields as executable instructions.\nThe vulnerability resides within specific administrative or service components of IBM AIX 7.2, AIX 7.3, and IBM PowerVM VIOS 4.1 that interface with shell command execution facilities. The attack vector requires network exposure to the authenticated service interfaces provided by these platforms.\nThe exploitation method relies on the injection of shell meta-characters (such as semicolons, pipes, backticks, or logical operators) through legitimate parameter fields accessible to authenticated users. During the attack flow, the malicious input is processed by the vulnerable component and forwarded to the system shell. The shell interprets the embedded special elements, causing it to terminate the intended command prematurely and execute the attacker's arbitrary payload in sequence.\nAuthentication requirements mandate that the attacker must have valid user credentials and access to the relevant management or service interfaces. Depending on the targeted component, privilege requirements may range from standard user privileges to administrative levels, directly dictating the scope of post-exploitation impact.\nThe payload behavior involves the immediate execution of arbitrary operating system commands defined by the attacker within the security context of the process executing the shell. Post-exploitation impact includes unauthorized data exfiltration, system reconfiguration, lateral movement across connected networks, and installation of persistent backdoors leading to full system compromise."
}