IBM AIX privilege escalation
Priority LOW 33CWE-454Published · Updated
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- High
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · High
- Fix status
- No fix listed
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA.
Summary
IBM AIX 7.2, 7.3, IBM VIOS 3.1, and 4.1, when configured to use Kerberos network authentication, could allow a local user to write to files on the system with root privileges due to improper initialization of critical variables.
Why it matters now
Exploitation None reported CISA SSVC · not in CISA KEV
EPSS 0.00123 2nd percentileScored 2026-11-07
Fix No fix listed No fixed version in the sources yet
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Total
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IBM | AIX | 7.2; 7.3 | — | No fix listed | CNA |
| IBM | VIOS | 3.1; 4.1 | — | No fix listed | CNA |
- AIX VendorIBM Affected 7.2; 7.3 Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
- VIOS VendorIBM Affected 3.1; 4.1 Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 5
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:a:ibm:vios:3.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 3.1 | Vulnerable | IBM |
| cpe:2.3:a:ibm:vios:4.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 4.1 | Vulnerable | IBM |
| cpe:2.3:o:ibm:aix:7.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 7.2 | Vulnerable | IBM |
| cpe:2.3:o:ibm:aix:7.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 7.3 | Vulnerable | IBM |
| cpe:2.3:o:ibm:aix:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | not specified by NVD | Running on | IBM |
- cpe:2.3:a:ibm:vios:3.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 3.1 Vulnerable ·IBM
- cpe:2.3:a:ibm:vios:4.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 4.1 Vulnerable ·IBM
- cpe:2.3:o:ibm:aix:7.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 7.2 Vulnerable ·IBM
- cpe:2.3:o:ibm:aix:7.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 7.3 Vulnerable ·IBM
- cpe:2.3:o:ibm:aix:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions not specified by NVD Running on ·IBM
Remediation
No fixed version listed by the sources yet.
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2025-36244
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-g3h8-wgx9-76x9
References
More IBM Aix vulnerabilities
- TI-2001-00767 Buffer overflow in login in various System V based operating systems allows remote… CVSS 2.0HIGH 10.0
- TI-2003-00642 The prescan function in Sendmail 8.12.9 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code… CVSS 2.0HIGH 10.0
- TI-2009-03523 Stack-based buffer overflow in libcsa.a (aka the calendar daemon library) in IBM AIX 5.x… CVSS 2.0HIGH 10.0
- TI-1999-00045 Buffer overflow of rlogin program using TERM environmental variable. CVSS 2.0HIGH 10.0
- TI-2001-00539 Buffer overflow in BSD-based telnetd telnet daemon on various operating systems allows… CVSS 2.0HIGH 10.0
- TI-1999-00009 Inverse query buffer overflow in BIND 4.9 and BIND 8 Releases. CVSS 2.0HIGH 10.0
Sources
- CVE-2025-36244 · CVE Program
- CVE-2025-36244 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-g3h8-wgx9-76x9 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
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