CVE-2026-16857

Received Received - Intake

Authentication Bypass in IBM AIX and PowerVM VIOS

Publication date: 2026-08-19

Last updated on: 2026-08-19

Assigner: IBM Corporation

Description

IBM AIX 7.2, and 7.3 and IBM PowerVM VIOS 4.1 could allow a remote attacker to manipulate network traffic and DNS configuration due to improper authentication.

CVSS Scores

EPSS Scores

Probability:
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Meta Information

Published

2026-08-19

Last Modified

2026-08-19

Generated

2026-08-20

AI Q&A

2026-08-20

EPSS Evaluated

N/A

NVD

CVE-2026-16857

EUVD

EUVD-2026-62749

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
ibm	aix	From 7.2 (inc)
ibm	aix	From 7.3 (inc)
ibm	powervm_vios	From 4.1 (inc)

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE

KEV

CWE ID	Description
CWE-287	When an actor claims to have a given identity, the product does not prove or insufficiently proves that the claim is correct.

Attack-Flow Graph

Executive Summary

This vulnerability in IBM AIX 7.2, 7.3, and IBM PowerVM VIOS 4.1 allows a remote attacker to manipulate network traffic and DNS configuration because the system does not properly authenticate these changes. This could lead to unauthorized modifications affecting network behavior and DNS settings.

Impact Analysis

An attacker could redirect network traffic, intercept communications, or disrupt services by altering DNS configurations. This may result in data breaches, service outages, or unauthorized access to sensitive systems.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability could lead to unauthorized data access or disclosure, violating GDPR's data protection requirements and HIPAA's security rules for protected health information. Non-compliance may result in legal penalties and reputational damage.

Mitigation Strategies

Apply IBM-provided patches or updates for AIX 7.2, 7.3, and PowerVM VIOS 4.1 to address improper authentication in network traffic and DNS configuration manipulation.

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