CVE-2026-18835

Received Received - Intake

Remote Command Execution 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 authenticated attacker to execute arbitrary commands due to improper neutralization of special elements used in an OS command.

CVSS Scores

EPSS Scores

Probability:
Percentile:

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-2026-18835

EUVD

EUVD-2026-63748

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-78	The product constructs all or part of an OS command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended OS command when it is sent to a downstream component.

Attack-Flow Graph

Executive Summary

This vulnerability in IBM AIX 7.2, 7.3, and IBM PowerVM VIOS 4.1 allows a remote authenticated attacker to execute arbitrary commands. It occurs due to improper neutralization of special elements used in an OS command, meaning the system fails to properly filter or sanitize input that could alter command execution.

Impact Analysis

An attacker could exploit this to run unauthorized commands on your system, potentially leading to data breaches, system compromise, or unauthorized access to sensitive information. The high CVSS score (9.9) indicates severe impact, including complete system control.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability could lead to unauthorized access or data breaches, violating GDPR (data protection) and HIPAA (health data security) requirements. Non-compliance may result in legal penalties, fines, or reputational damage.

Mitigation Strategies

Apply IBM AIX and PowerVM VIOS security patches or updates as soon as they become available. Remove unnecessary user access to reduce the risk of remote authenticated attackers exploiting this flaw.

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