Description

IBM AIX 7.2, and 7.3 and IBM PowerVM VIOS 4.1 could allow a local attacker to execute arbitrary code due to improper validation of an attacker-controlled pointer.

Executive Summary

Technical Details

Mitigations

References

Additional Metadata

{
  "score": "8.2",
  "pubDate": "2026-08-20T22:17:17.603Z",
  "pubdate": "2026-08-20T22:17:17.603Z",
  "executiveSummary": "A local vulnerability exists in IBM AIX 7.2 and 7.3, as well as IBM PowerVM VIOS 4.1, which potentially allows a local attacker to execute arbitrary code.\nThe vulnerability stems from improper validation of an attacker-controlled pointer within the affected systems.\nThe primary impact of this security flaw is the execution of arbitrary code with the privilege level afforded by the vulnerable component or context, which compromises system integrity and confidentiality.\nRisk implications include full local system compromise, privilege escalation, and unauthorized access to sensitive operational data managed by the hypervisor or operating system.\nAttacker capabilities require local access to the target system in order to supply or manipulate the attacker-controlled pointer.\nExploitation requirements necessitate that the malicious actor has already obtained local execution context to interface with the vulnerable subsystem and trigger the improper pointer validation condition.",
  "technicalDetails": "The root cause of the vulnerability is insufficient input sanitization and improper validation of an attacker-controlled pointer within the affected software components of IBM AIX and IBM PowerVM VIOS.\nThe vulnerable component processes pointers supplied via local interfaces without adequately verifying their memory boundaries or validity.\nAffected versions explicitly include IBM AIX 7.2, IBM AIX 7.3, and IBM PowerVM VIOS 4.1.\nAuthentication requirements dictate that the attacker must have valid local access to the operating system or virtualization environment to interact with the vulnerable routines.\nPrivilege requirements depend on the specific interface handling the pointer, potentially allowing standard local users to escalate privileges if the vulnerable function operates with elevated execution rights.\nNetwork exposure is strictly local; the vulnerability cannot be exploited remotely over a network protocol without prior local access or an existing local entry point.\nThe attack flow begins when the local attacker crafts a specialized payload or input designed to supply an invalid, manipulated, or out-of-bounds pointer to the vulnerable processing routine.\nBecause the application or kernel component fails to properly validate the attacker-controlled pointer prior to dereferencing, a memory corruption condition or arbitrary write/read primitive occurs.\nUpon successful dereference of the improperly validated pointer, the control flow of the application or operating system kernel is hijacked.\nPayload behavior during exploitation involves executing arbitrary machine instructions supplied or referenced by the attacker within the memory space of the affected component.\nPost-exploitation impact includes complete administrative control over the local operating system partition or the PowerVM VIOS management environment, allowing the adversary to install backdoors, manipulate virtual resources, or pivot to other accessible network segments and logical partitions."
}