CVE-2026-16848 Vulnerabilities in IBM AIX and PowerVM VIOS

High 8.8 Published 19 Aug 2026 Updated 22 Aug 2026

Remote attackers can execute arbitrary commands on IBM AIX and PowerVM VIOS systems via improper neutralization of shell metacharacters in DHCP options.

Exploited in the wild: Not known
Login needed: Not needed
Attackable: Local or same network only
Victim action needed: Not needed
Fix: None listed

What is CVE-2026-16848?

CVE-2026-16848 is a high-severity command injection vulnerability in Ibm Aix, published on 19 Aug 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

Official description

IBM AIX 7.2, and 7.3 and IBM PowerVM VIOS 4.1 could allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary commands due to improper neutralization of shell metacharacters in DHCP options.

Weakness: CWE-78

Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-16848?

It affects 2 products.

Products include Ibm Aix, Ibm Vios.

How do I fix CVE-2026-16848?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-16848 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

Upgrade, and pass arguments to programs as a list instead of through a shell. More about Command injection.

Is CVE-2026-16848 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-16848 in the wild and no public exploit code.

All Ibm Aix vulnerabilities

Sources

Also known as GHSA-77f7-4rr4-gqj6.