What is CVE-2026-16926?

CVE-2026-16926 is a critical-severity vulnerability in IBM Aix, classified under External Control of File Name or Path. CVSS score: 9.1/10. Published 2026-08-20.

How severe is CVE-2026-16926?

Critical severity. CVSS v3 base score is 9.1 out of 10.

Vulnerability in IBM Aix

CVE-2026-16926

IBM AIX 7.2, and 7.3 and IBM PowerVM VIOS 4.1 could allow a remote attacker to overwrite arbitrary files due to improper neutralization of special elements in input.

Published 2026-08-20 · last modified 2026-08-25.

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 9.1 (Critical). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H.

EPSS exploit prediction

EPSS: 0.006 (44.9th percentile), scored 2026-10-04.

Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 45th percentile — 44.9% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.

EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.003 · newest: 0.006 · change: +0.003

Affected products

IBM Aix — versions 7.2, 7.3
IBM Powervm Vios — versions 4.1
IBM Vios

Weakness classification (CWE)

CWE-73 — External Control of File Name or Path

References

www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7283858 (vendor-advisory, Patch, patch, Vendor Advisory)

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-16926?: CVE-2026-16926 is a critical-severity vulnerability in IBM Aix, classified under External Control of File Name or Path. CVSS score: 9.1/10. Published 2026-08-20.
How severe is CVE-2026-16926?: Critical severity. CVSS v3 base score is 9.1 out of 10.