CVE-2024-47102 is a vulnerability identified in IBM AIX operating system versions 7.2 and 7.3, as well as VIOS versions 3.1 and 4.1. The flaw resides in the AIX perfstat kernel extension, which is responsible for performance statistics gathering. Specifically, this vulnerability is classified under CWE-863, indicating an incorrect authorization issue. A non-privileged local user can exploit this flaw to trigger a denial of service (DoS) condition by causing the perfstat kernel extension to malfunction or crash. The vulnerability does not require user interaction beyond local access, and it does not impact confidentiality or integrity but solely affects availability. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 5.5 (medium severity), reflecting that the attack vector is local (AV:L), with low attack complexity (AC:L), requiring low privileges (PR:L), no user interaction (UI:N), and the scope remains unchanged (S:U). The impact is limited to availability (A:H), with no confidentiality or integrity impact. There are currently no known exploits in the wild, and no patches have been linked yet, indicating that mitigation may rely on vendor updates or workarounds once available. This vulnerability could be leveraged by an attacker with local access to disrupt system operations, potentially affecting critical workloads running on AIX systems.

For European organizations utilizing IBM AIX 7.2 or 7.3, particularly in enterprise environments such as financial institutions, telecommunications, and government agencies, this vulnerability poses a risk of local denial of service. The impact primarily affects system availability, potentially causing service interruptions or downtime in critical infrastructure. Since AIX is often deployed in high-availability environments, even temporary denial of service could disrupt business operations, lead to financial losses, and affect compliance with service level agreements (SLAs). The requirement for local access limits remote exploitation, but insider threats or compromised accounts could leverage this vulnerability. Additionally, organizations using VIOS (Virtual I/O Server) on IBM Power Systems may also be affected, which could impact virtualization environments and resource sharing. The absence of known exploits reduces immediate risk, but the medium severity rating and potential for disruption necessitate proactive mitigation. European organizations with strict uptime and availability requirements must prioritize addressing this vulnerability to maintain operational continuity.

1. Monitor IBM security advisories closely for official patches or updates addressing CVE-2024-47102 and apply them promptly once available. 2. Restrict local access to AIX systems by enforcing strict access controls, limiting user privileges, and employing robust authentication mechanisms to reduce the risk of exploitation by non-privileged users. 3. Implement system monitoring and alerting for unusual perfstat kernel extension behavior or system crashes to detect potential exploitation attempts early. 4. Consider isolating critical AIX systems from less trusted users and networks to minimize the attack surface. 5. Review and harden virtualization environments using VIOS to ensure that only trusted administrators have local access. 6. Conduct regular security audits and user activity reviews to detect and prevent insider threats. 7. Prepare incident response plans specifically addressing denial of service scenarios on AIX systems to minimize downtime and recovery time.