CVE-2026-16972

Received Received - Intake

Authentication Bypass in IBM AIX and PowerVM VIOS

Publication date: 2026-08-20

Last updated on: 2026-08-20

Assigner: IBM Corporation

Description

IBM AIX 7.2, and 7.3 and IBM PowerVM VIOS 4.1 could allow a remote attacker to obtain sensitive information due to improper authentication.

CVSS Scores

EPSS Scores

Probability:
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Meta Information

Published

2026-08-20

Last Modified

2026-08-20

Generated

2026-08-21

AI Q&A

2026-08-21

EPSS Evaluated

N/A

NVD

CVE-2026-16972

EUVD

EUVD-2026-63701

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
ibm	aix	7.2
ibm	aix	7.3
ibm	powervm_vios	4.1

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 access sensitive information due to improper authentication mechanisms.

Impact Analysis

An attacker could exploit this to steal confidential data, potentially leading to data breaches, unauthorized access, or further network compromise depending on the exposed information.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability could lead to non-compliance with GDPR or HIPAA if sensitive personal or health data is exposed, resulting in legal penalties, fines, or 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. Monitor IBM security advisories for fixes and restrict remote access to affected systems until patched.

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