VulnerabilityPublished 17 Mar 2026

CVE-2026-1376: IBM · Unthrottled Resource Allocation

Affects IBMSource CVE Database V5

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Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.5 High.

Data as of 30 Oct 2026, 11:52 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

7.5High

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.5% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 44% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: None
Integrity: None
Availability: High

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: None: The attacker is unauthorized prior to attack, and therefore does not require any access to settings or files to carry out an attack.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: None: There is no loss of confidentiality within the impacted component.
Integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the impacted component.
Availability: High: There is total loss of availability, resulting in the attacker being able to fully deny access to resources in the impacted component; this loss is either sustained (while the attacker continues to deliver the attack) or persistent (the condition persists even after the attack has completed). Alternatively, the attacker has the ability to deny some availability, but the loss of availability presents a direct, serious consequence to the impacted component (e.g., the attacker cannot disrupt existing connections, but can prevent new connections; the attacker can repeatedly exploit a vulnerability that, in each instance of a successful attack, leaks a only small amount of memory, but after repeated exploitation causes a service to become completely unavailable).

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 17 Mar 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 30 Oct 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponized: A Metasploit exploit module or Exploit-DB entry exists (Metasploit scanner modules do not count), or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
IBM	Affected =7.6	Fixed in–

CPE configurations (1)

cpe:2.3:a:ibm:i:7.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

AI-suggested

To mitigate CVE-2026-1376, organizations should implement the following specific measures: 1) Monitor IBM security advisories closely and apply patches or updates as soon as IBM releases them for IBM i 7.6. 2) Implement network-level rate limiting and connection throttling on authentication endpoints to restrict the number of failed login attempts from a single source, reducing the risk of resource exhaustion. 3) Deploy intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDS/IPS) with signatures or heuristics to detect abnormal authentication failure patterns indicative of DoS attempts. 4) Segment and isolate IBM i systems from untrusted networks using firewalls and VPNs to limit exposure to remote attackers. 5) Review and harden authentication mechanisms, including enabling account lockout policies or CAPTCHA-like challenges if supported, to deter automated brute force attempts. 6) Conduct regular resource usage monitoring and alerting to detect unusual spikes in resource consumption related to authentication processes. 7) Engage with IBM support for guidance on temporary workarounds or configuration changes that can reduce resource allocation per authentication attempt until a patch is available. These targeted actions go beyond generic advice by focusing on controlling resource allocation and attack surface reduction specific to this vulnerability.

Description

CVE-2026-1376 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting IBM i version 7.6, where improper allocation of resources during failed authentication attempts can lead to a denial of service (DoS). This flaw stems from CWE-770, which involves allocation of resources without proper limits or throttling. An unauthenticated remote attacker can exploit this by repeatedly attempting failed logins, causing resource exhaustion and service disruption. The vulnerability does not impact confidentiality or integrity but severely affects availability. No user interaction or privileges are required to exploit this issue, and no known exploits are currently reported in the wild. Organizations relying on IBM i 7.6 systems should prioritize mitigation to prevent potential DoS attacks. The vulnerability has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.

Impact

The primary impact of CVE-2026-1376 is denial of service, which can disrupt critical business operations relying on IBM i 7.6 systems. Organizations using affected IBM i versions may experience system unavailability, leading to downtime, loss of productivity, and potential financial losses. Since IBM i platforms are often used in sectors such as finance, manufacturing, retail, and government, a successful DoS attack could affect transaction processing, supply chain management, and public services. The vulnerability does not compromise data confidentiality or integrity, but the availability impact alone can have cascading effects on business continuity and customer trust. Additionally, the ease of exploitation without authentication or user interaction increases the risk of widespread automated attacks. Organizations with high dependency on IBM i systems and those exposed to untrusted networks are particularly vulnerable. The absence of known exploits currently provides a window for proactive mitigation, but the threat landscape could evolve rapidly once exploit code becomes available.

CWE-770Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessLikelihood of exploit: HighCWE Top 25 (2025): #25
The product allocates a reusable resource or group of resources on behalf of an actor without imposing any intended restrictions on the size or number of resources that can be allocated.
Requirements
Clearly specify the minimum and maximum expectations for capabilities, and dictate which behaviors are acceptable when resource allocation reaches limits.
Architecture and Design
Limit the amount of resources that are accessible to unprivileged users. Set per-user limits for resources. Allow the system administrator to define these limits. Be careful to avoid CWE-410.
Architecture and Design
Design throttling mechanisms into the system architecture. The best protection is to limit the amount of resources that an unauthorized user can cause to be expended.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Abuse Case (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V8.1.4 (opens in a new tab)
V13.4.1 (opens in a new tab)
V11.1.4 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
XML Ping of the Death (opens in a new tab)
Exponential Data Expansion (opens in a new tab)
Serialized Data Parameter Blowup (opens in a new tab)
Serialized Data with Nested Payloads (opens in a new tab)
Oversized Serialized Data Payloads (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

ibm.com/support/pages/node/7266422 (opens in a new tab)

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

CPE configurations (1)

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 25 Mar 2026, 01:00 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-770

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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