CVE-2026-16937: CWE-269 Improper Privilege Management in IBM AIX
Description
CVE-2026-16937 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 that could allow a local attacker to gain elevated privileges without user interaction. The vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 score of 7.8, indicating significant impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. No patch or remediation details are currently provided.
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. It allows a local attacker with limited privileges to escalate their privileges due to improper handling of privilege management within the affected systems. The CVSS 3.1 vector indicates the attack requires local access with low complexity, no user interaction, and impacts confidentiality, integrity, and availability at a high level.
Potential Impact
Successful exploitation could result in a local attacker gaining elevated privileges, potentially leading to full system compromise including unauthorized access to sensitive data, modification of system configurations, and disruption of services.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. Until an official fix is released, restrict local access to trusted users only and monitor for suspicious privilege escalation attempts.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- ibm
- Date Reserved
- 2026-07-24T07:41:26.162Z
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
- State
- PUBLISHED
Threat ID: 6a87778eacd9273b492c5f9f
Added to database: 08/20/2026, 21:54:22 UTC
Last enriched: 09/10/2026, 20:47:11 UTC
Last updated: 10/05/2026, 06:48:14 UTC
Views: 41
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