CVE-2026-16140: CWE-863 Incorrect Authorization in OpenBMC phosphor-net-ipmid
OpenBMC's IPMI implementation, phosphor-net-ipmid, is vulnerable to a logic flaw where the authorization context of an existing session can be replaced with a target account while still maintaining the original integrity and encryption keys. Several downstream vendors implement phosphor-net-ipmid as their IPMI stack, such as NVIDIA and H3C. This issue effectively allows for privilege escalation without re-authentication.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
CVE-2026-16140 describes an incorrect authorization vulnerability (CWE-863) in OpenBMC's phosphor-net-ipmid IPMI implementation. The flaw allows an attacker to hijack an existing session's authorization context by substituting it with that of a target account, effectively escalating privileges without needing to re-authenticate. This occurs while preserving the session's integrity and encryption keys, potentially bypassing normal security controls. The vulnerability affects phosphor-net-ipmid version 0, and several downstream vendors incorporate this component in their IPMI stacks.
Potential Impact
Successful exploitation allows an attacker with limited privileges to escalate their privileges to those of a target account without re-authentication, compromising confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected system. This can lead to full system compromise or unauthorized administrative access via IPMI.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. No official fix or patch links are currently available. Until a patch is released, monitor vendor advisories and consider restricting access to IPMI interfaces to trusted administrators only.
CVE-2026-16140: CWE-863 Incorrect Authorization in OpenBMC phosphor-net-ipmid
Description
OpenBMC's IPMI implementation, phosphor-net-ipmid, is vulnerable to a logic flaw where the authorization context of an existing session can be replaced with a target account while still maintaining the original integrity and encryption keys. Several downstream vendors implement phosphor-net-ipmid as their IPMI stack, such as NVIDIA and H3C. This issue effectively allows for privilege escalation without re-authentication.
CVSS v3.1
Score 8.8high
Affected software
OpenBMC
phosphor-net-ipmid
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Weaknesses
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
CVE-2026-16140 describes an incorrect authorization vulnerability (CWE-863) in OpenBMC's phosphor-net-ipmid IPMI implementation. The flaw allows an attacker to hijack an existing session's authorization context by substituting it with that of a target account, effectively escalating privileges without needing to re-authenticate. This occurs while preserving the session's integrity and encryption keys, potentially bypassing normal security controls. The vulnerability affects phosphor-net-ipmid version 0, and several downstream vendors incorporate this component in their IPMI stacks.
Potential Impact
Successful exploitation allows an attacker with limited privileges to escalate their privileges to those of a target account without re-authentication, compromising confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected system. This can lead to full system compromise or unauthorized administrative access via IPMI.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. No official fix or patch links are currently available. Until a patch is released, monitor vendor advisories and consider restricting access to IPMI interfaces to trusted administrators only.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- runZero
- Date Reserved
- 2026-07-17T17:17:23.941Z
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
- State
- PUBLISHED
Threat ID: 6aa956ee55bf5e2cf5f0947e
Added to database: 09/15/2026, 14:32:14 UTC
Last enriched: 09/15/2026, 14:46:32 UTC
Last updated: 09/16/2026, 03:05:06 UTC
Views: 12
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