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ReviewHigh

CVE-2026-16838

IBM AIX, PowerVM VIOS, aix

IBM AIX 7.2, and 7.3 and IBM PowerVM VIOS 4.1 could allow a local attacker to overwrite critical files and obtain sensitive information due to a time-of-check to time-of-use (TOCTOU) race condition.

CVSS
7
EPSS
0.08%
0.21% percentile
CISA KEV
Not listed
Published
2026.08.20
PRIORITY ASSESSMENT

Review

The CVSS severity warrants an early asset and exposure review.

Known exploitationNot established by KEV
Exploit probability0.08%
Technical severityCVSS 7

Vulnerability overview

IBM AIX 7.2, and 7.3 and IBM PowerVM VIOS 4.1 could allow a local attacker to overwrite critical files and obtain sensitive information due to a time-of-check to time-of-use (TOCTOU) race condition.

Affected product and versions

Product
IBM AIX, PowerVM VIOS, aix
Affected versions
>= 7.2, >= 7.3, >= 4.1, >= 7.2.5 <= 7.2.5.212, >= 7.3.2 <= 7.3.2.5, >= 7.3.3 <= 7.3.3.2, >= 7.3.4 <= 7.3.4.1, >= 4.1.0 < 4.1.0.50, >= 4.1.1.0 < 4.1.1.30, >= 4.1.2.0 < 4.1.2.20
Fixed versions
Verify the fixed release separately for each affected product line

Recommended response sequence

Confirm exposure before applying a vendor-supported change.

Full remediation guide
  1. 1
    Identify

    Confirm that IBM AIX, PowerVM VIOS, aix and an affected version are present.

  2. 2
    Prioritize

    Combine exploitation signals with asset exposure and business criticality.

  3. 3
    Remediate

    Follow the vendor advisory or supported update path and preserve rollback options.

  4. 4
    Verify

    Recheck the version, service health, access paths, and relevant logs.

Technical data

CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CWE
CWE-367