CVE-2026-16874: CWE-269 Improper Privilege Management in IBM AIX
Description
CVE-2026-16874 is a high-severity vulnerability in IBM AIX versions 7.2 and 7.3, and IBM PowerVM VIOS 4.1. It involves improper privilege management due to incorrect enforcement of Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) authentication roles. This flaw could allow a local attacker with limited privileges to escalate to root privileges without user interaction.
CVSS v3.1
Score 7.8high
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, identified as CWE-269 (Improper Privilege Management), affects IBM AIX 7.2, 7.3, and IBM PowerVM VIOS 4.1. The issue arises from improper enforcement of RBAC authentication roles, enabling a local attacker to gain root-level access. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 7.8, indicating high severity, with attack vector local, low attack complexity, low privileges required, no user interaction, and high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
Potential Impact
A successful exploitation allows a local attacker to escalate privileges to root, potentially compromising the entire system's confidentiality, integrity, and availability. This could lead to full system control by an unauthorized user.
Mitigation Recommendations
No patch or official remediation information is provided in the available data. Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the IBM vendor advisory for current remediation guidance.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- ibm
- Date Reserved
- 2026-07-24T04:32:40.275Z
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
- State
- PUBLISHED
Threat ID: 6a86e0f8acd9273b49838590
Added to database: 08/20/2026, 11:11:52 UTC
Last enriched: 09/11/2026, 02:16:57 UTC
Last updated: 10/05/2026, 06:48:14 UTC
Views: 43
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