Quick answers
- Is CVE-2026-16188 exploited in the wild?
- No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-16188 being exploited in the wild.
- How severe is CVE-2026-16188?
- Medium severity, with a CVSS score of 5.3, published 14 September 2026.
- Which products and versions are affected?
- IBM WebSphere Application Server 8.5 prior to 8.5.5.31, 9.0 prior to 9.0.5.29.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2026-16188?
- No fixed version is recorded yet. Check the vendor's advisory in the references below. If you run it, Junglewise drafts a mitigation that fits your setup and applies it once you approve, with senior security engineers behind it.
- How is CVE-2026-16188 attacked?
- It is attacked over the network.
- Am I affected by CVE-2026-16188?
- Check whether you run IBM WebSphere Application Server at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.
Technical details
This vulnerability is a log injection flaw in IBM WebSphere Application Server versions prior to 8.5.5.31 and 9.0.5.29. The exact attack vector is not fully detailed in the reference materials, but the vulnerability allows a remote attacker to inject crafted log entries into the administrative log without requiring authentication or special privileges. An attacker could exploit this to create misleading audit records, hide malicious activities, or trigger false security alerts. IBM has released patches for versions 8.5.5.31 and 9.0.5.29 and later.
Affected products
- IBM WebSphere Application Server 8.5 prior to 8.5.5.31, 9.0 prior to 9.0.5.29
Timeline
- 2026-09-14: disclosed