# CVE-2026-18849: IBM OpenBMC Code Execution

> Authenticated administrators can execute arbitrary code via path traversal in the BMC firmware update process, compromising system integrity.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** An administrator
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 19 Aug 2026
- **Updated:** 21 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-5j8f-fc55-9mwx

## What is CVE-2026-18849?

CVE-2026-18849 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in IBM OPENBMC, 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 OpenBMC FW1060.00 through FW1060.80 is affected by a vulnerability in the BMC firmware update process. An attacker with authenticated administrator-level access to the BMC can, under specific conditions, execute arbitrary code, resulting in a confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.

Weakness: CWE-22 (Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-18849?

It affects 9 products.


Products: Ibm Openbmc, Ibm Power System E1050 \(9043-Mrx\) Firmware, Ibm Power System L1022 \(9786-22h\) Firmware, Ibm Power System L1024 \(9786-42h\) Firmware, Ibm Power System S1012 \(9028-21b\) Firmware, Ibm Power System S1014 \(9105-41b\) Firmware, Ibm Power System S1022 \(9105-22a\) Firmware, Ibm Power System S1022s \(9105-22b\) Firmware, Ibm Power System S1024 \(9105-42a\) Firmware.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-18849?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-18849 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-18849 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-18849 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in IBM OPENBMC

- [CVE-2024-35124](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-35124/): IBM OpenBMC authentication bypass (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2024-31916](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-31916/): IBM OpenBMC information disclosure (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2026-7254](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-7254/): Open BMC Denial of Service (medium 5.3)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-18849 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-18849 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in IBM OPENBMC, published on 19 Aug 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-18849 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: IBM OPENBMC. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-18849/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-18849/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-18849
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-18849
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-18849

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-18849/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.