Authenticated privilege escalation via improperly validated pointers
Published Aug 13, 2026 · Updated Aug 13, 2026
Improper privilege management in IBMi 7.3 through 7.6 allows remote authenticated users to gain elevated privileges through Java. The bundled IBM Java runtime reads pointers from Java-controlled addresses without properly validating them before use. A valid low-privilege account and high-complexity conditions are required; exploitation crosses the account’s assigned privilege boundary.
Summary
What happened
Improper privilege management in IBMi 7.3 through 7.6 allows remote authenticated users to gain elevated privileges through Java. The bundled IBM Java runtime reads pointers from Java-controlled addresses without properly validating them before use. A valid low-privilege account and high-complexity conditions are required; exploitation crosses the account’s assigned privilege boundary.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-18249
- Published
- Aug 13, 2026
- Updated
- Aug 13, 2026
- Vendor
- IBM
- Product
- IBM i
- Classifications
- CWE-269, T1068
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Aug 13, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Aug 13, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=7.3
- Affected versionversion=7.4
- Affected versionversion=7.5
- Affected versionversion=7.6
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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