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CVE-2026-16888

LOW 3.7

Published 2026-08-19 · Last modified 2026-08-20

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

NO EXPLOITATION SIGNALS

No known exploitation, public exploit, or elevated probability at this time. Track for changes.

Exploitation likelihood

0.5%chance of exploitation in 30 days · 41st percentile

○ In CISA KEV ○ Public exploit / PoC

Impact if exploited

3.7CVSS 3.1 · LOW

  • ConfidentialityLow
  • IntegrityNone
  • AvailabilityNone

What an attacker needs

  • Access: Reachable over the network — no local access needed
  • Privileges: No account or privileges required
  • User interaction: No user interaction needed
  • Complexity: Needs a race window or specific setup

✓ lowers the bar for an attacker · ⚠ raises it

Proof of concept & exploit code

Test against your own equipment

curl -s https://vulnpedia.com/cve/CVE-2026-16888/poc.jsonMachine-readable PoC index for this CVE (for automation).

Listed for defensive triage, patch verification, and authorized testing on systems you own. Machine-readable: /cve/CVE-2026-16888/poc.json

Affected

Vendors Ibm

Products Aix Powervm Vios Vios

Weakness (CWE)

  • CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N

Known Affected Software Configurations

VendorProductVersion range
IbmVios≥ 4.1.0 and < 4.1.0.50
IbmVios≥ 4.1.1.0 and < 4.1.1.30
IbmVios≥ 4.1.2.0 and < 4.1.2.20
IbmAix≥ 7.2.5 and ≤ 7.2.5.212
IbmAix≥ 7.3.2 and ≤ 7.3.2.5
IbmAix≥ 7.3.3 and ≤ 7.3.3.2
IbmAix≥ 7.3.4 and ≤ 7.3.4.1

All CVSS metrics

  • LOW 3.7 v3.1 · CNA Primary
    CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
  • LOW 3.7 v3.1 · NVD Secondary
    CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N

References

Patches & mitigations

Sources: NVD · CVE.org · EPSS