CVE-2026-16897: CWE-369 Divide By Zero in IBM AIX
CVE-2026-16897 is a medium severity vulnerability in IBM AIX 7.2, 7.3, and IBM PowerVM VIOS 4.1. It involves a divide-by-zero error (CWE-369) that can lead to an out-of-bounds write, allowing a local attacker to cause a denial of service. The vulnerability does not impact confidentiality or integrity but affects availability. No official patch or remediation guidance is currently provided by IBM. There are no known exploits in the wild at this time.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
This vulnerability (CVE-2026-16897) affects IBM AIX versions 7.2 and 7.3, as well as IBM PowerVM VIOS 4.1. It is caused by a divide-by-zero condition leading to an out-of-bounds write, which can be triggered by a local attacker to cause a denial of service. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 4.4, reflecting a medium severity with local attack vector, low attack complexity, and high privileges required. The vulnerability does not affect confidentiality or integrity but impacts system availability. No vendor advisory or patch information is currently available.
Potential Impact
A local attacker with high privileges can exploit this vulnerability to cause a denial of service by triggering an out-of-bounds write due to a divide-by-zero error. There is no impact on confidentiality or integrity. No known exploits are reported in the wild.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. Until an official fix is released, monitor IBM advisories for updates. No specific mitigation or workaround is currently documented.
CVE-2026-16897: CWE-369 Divide By Zero in IBM AIX
Description
CVE-2026-16897 is a medium severity vulnerability in IBM AIX 7.2, 7.3, and IBM PowerVM VIOS 4.1. It involves a divide-by-zero error (CWE-369) that can lead to an out-of-bounds write, allowing a local attacker to cause a denial of service. The vulnerability does not impact confidentiality or integrity but affects availability. No official patch or remediation guidance is currently provided by IBM. There are no known exploits in the wild at this time.
CVSS v3.1
Score 4.4medium
Affected software
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 (CVE-2026-16897) affects IBM AIX versions 7.2 and 7.3, as well as IBM PowerVM VIOS 4.1. It is caused by a divide-by-zero condition leading to an out-of-bounds write, which can be triggered by a local attacker to cause a denial of service. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 4.4, reflecting a medium severity with local attack vector, low attack complexity, and high privileges required. The vulnerability does not affect confidentiality or integrity but impacts system availability. No vendor advisory or patch information is currently available.
Potential Impact
A local attacker with high privileges can exploit this vulnerability to cause a denial of service by triggering an out-of-bounds write due to a divide-by-zero error. There is no impact on confidentiality or integrity. No known exploits are reported in the wild.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. Until an official fix is released, monitor IBM advisories for updates. No specific mitigation or workaround is currently documented.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- ibm
- Date Reserved
- 2026-07-24T05:35:17.491Z
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Remediation Level
- null
Threat ID: 6a860d18acd9273b498f9c2a
Added to database: 08/19/2026, 20:07:52 UTC
Last enriched: 08/19/2026, 20:23:03 UTC
Last updated: 08/19/2026, 21:36:18 UTC
Views: 3
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