CVE-2026-81657: IBM Guardium Data Protection · Deserialization of Untrusted Data
Affects IBM Guardium Data ProtectionSource CVE Database V5
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 9.8 Critical.
Data as of 2 Nov 2026, 22:58 UTC
- EPSS
- 0.8% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 58% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
- CISA SSVC
- Exploitation
- No evidence of active exploitation and no public proof of concept
- Automatable
- Attackers can reliably automate steps 1–4 of the kill chain
- Technical impact
- Total control over the software or total information disclosure
CISA SSVC assessment, 2026-09-22.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 18 Sep 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors
A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 2 Nov 2026.
What to do
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| IBMGuardium Data Protection | Affected
| Fixed in– |
CPE configurations (2)
cpe:2.3:a:ibm:guardium_data_protection:12.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*cpe:2.3:a:ibm:guardium_data_protection:12.2.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
AI-suggested
Until an official fix is available, restrict network access to the affected system and monitor for suspicious activity. Follow IBM's official guidance once published.
Description
IBM Guardium Data Protection version 12.2 contains a critical vulnerability (CVE-2026-81657) involving deserialization of untrusted data. This flaw could allow a remote unauthenticated attacker to execute arbitrary code on the affected system, potentially leading to full compromise. The vulnerability has a CVSS score of 9.8, indicating a high severity with network attack vector and no required privileges or user interaction.