CVE-2026-16838: CWE-367 Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition in IBM AIX
Description
CVE-2026-16838 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting IBM AIX versions 7.2 and 7.3, as well as IBM PowerVM VIOS 4.1. It involves a time-of-check to time-of-use (TOCTOU) race condition that could allow a local attacker to overwrite critical files and access sensitive information.
CVSS v3.1
Score 7.0high
Affected software
IBM
AIX
IBM
PowerVM VIOS
cpe:2.3:a:ibm:aix:7.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*cpe:2.3:a:ibm:aix:7.2.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*cpe:2.3:a:ibm:aix:7.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*cpe:2.3:a:ibm:aix:7.3.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*cpe:2.3:a:ibm:powervm_vios:4.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*cpe:2.3:a:ibm:powervm_vios:4.1.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*Run on your own infrastructure? Check whether these packages are installed with threat-finder — our free open-source scanner.
Weaknesses
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
This vulnerability is a TOCTOU race condition in IBM AIX 7.2, 7.3, and IBM PowerVM VIOS 4.1. A local attacker with low privileges could exploit this flaw to overwrite critical system files and obtain sensitive data. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 7.0, indicating high severity, with attack vector local, attack complexity high, privileges required low, no user interaction, and impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability all rated high.
Potential Impact
Successful exploitation allows a local attacker to overwrite critical files and gain access to sensitive information, potentially compromising system confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- ibm
- Date Reserved
- 2026-07-24T02:56:39.108Z
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
- State
- PUBLISHED
Threat ID: 6a86098facd9273b498b4bf5
Added to database: 08/19/2026, 19:52:47 UTC
Last enriched: 09/11/2026, 06:16:58 UTC
Last updated: 10/04/2026, 10:02:25 UTC
Views: 43
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