CVE-2026-18499Network attack vector

Authenticated privilege escalation in collectives

Published Aug 12, 2026 · Updated Aug 12, 2026

Improper authorization in IBM WebSphere Application Server Liberty 17.0.0.3 through 26.0.0.8 allows remote authenticated users to escalate privileges. IBM has not disclosed the faulty authorization locus or the privileged operation that accepts a low-privileged collective request. A reachable collective with either affected feature enabled and low-privileged credentials is required; exploitation compromises confidentiality and integrity without interrupting service.

CVSS severity8.1
High
EPSS probability0.30%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Improper authorization in IBM WebSphere Application Server Liberty 17.0.0.3 through 26.0.0.8 allows remote authenticated users to escalate privileges. IBM has not disclosed the faulty authorization locus or the privileged operation that accepts a low-privileged collective request. A reachable collective with either affected feature enabled and low-privileged credentials is required; exploitation compromises confidentiality and integrity without interrupting service.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-18499
Published
Aug 12, 2026
Updated
Aug 12, 2026
Vendor
IBM
Product
IBM WebSphere Application Server Liberty
Classifications
CWE-285
Attack vector
network
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Aug 12, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 12, 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.

  1. Affected versionversion=17.0.0.3 <=26.0.0.8

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

IBM · IBM WebSphere Application Server Libertyversion=17.0.0.3 <=26.0.0.8

Published CVSS scores

8.1IBM CorporationCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N

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.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectornetwork
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-285Improper Authorization

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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