What is CVE-2026-16989?

CVE-2026-16989 is a high-severity vulnerability in IBM Aix, classified under Improper Link Resolution Before File Access. CVSS score: 7.1/10. Published 2026-08-20.

How severe is CVE-2026-16989?

High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.1 out of 10.

Vulnerability in IBM Aix

CVE-2026-16989

IBM AIX 7.2, and 7.3 and IBM PowerVM VIOS 4.1 could allow a local attacker to gain elevated privileges due to improper resolution of symbolic links.

Published 2026-08-20 · last modified 2026-08-24.

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 7.1 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N.

EPSS exploit prediction

EPSS: 0.001 (2.2th percentile), scored 2026-10-05.

Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 2nd percentile — 2.2% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.

EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.001 · newest: 0.001 · change: 0.000

Affected products

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

Weakness classification (CWE)

CWE-59 — Improper Link Resolution Before File Access

References

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

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-16989?: CVE-2026-16989 is a high-severity vulnerability in IBM Aix, classified under Improper Link Resolution Before File Access. CVSS score: 7.1/10. Published 2026-08-20.
How severe is CVE-2026-16989?: High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.1 out of 10.