# CVE-2026-18101: IBM i privilege escalation in thread authority management

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-18101-ibm-i-privilege-escalation-in-thread-authority-management  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-08-13. Updated: 2026-09-25  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-18101 · Severity: high · CVSS 8.8 · Published 2026-08-13

IBM i is an enterprise operating system used to run critical business applications. A flaw in how the system manages thread-level security permissions allows a local attacker with basic user access to gain administrator-level privileges, potentially compromising the entire system and all data it contains. IBM has released security patches for all affected versions.

Technologies: [IBM I](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/i). Vendors: [IBM](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/ibm).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-18101 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-18101 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-18101?** High severity, with a CVSS score of 8.8, published 13 August 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** IBM I 7.3, 7.4, 7.5, 7.6.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-18101?** A patch was published on 2026-08-13: PTFs released for IBM i 7.3–7.6 Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is CVE-2026-18101 attacked?** It is attacked with local access.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-18101?** Check whether you run IBM I 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

The vulnerability is a privilege management flaw (CWE-269) in IBM i versions 7.3 through 7.6, where improper handling of thread authority swaps allows a local authenticated attacker to escalate privileges. The attack requires local access and low-level user privileges but no user interaction. An attacker can exploit this to gain elevated system privileges and compromise system integrity, confidentiality, and availability. IBM has released platform-specific PTFs (SJ10874, SJ10875, SJ10876, SJ10877 for versions 7.6, 7.5, 7.4, and 7.3 respectively) to remediate the issue.

## Affected products

- IBM i 7.3, 7.4, 7.5, 7.6

## Timeline

- 2026-08-13: disclosed: CVE-2026-18101 published
- 2026-08-13: patched: PTFs released for IBM i 7.3–7.6

## References

- [https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7283286](https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7283286)

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- [IBM i NFS version restriction bypass](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-17068-ibm-i-7-3-7-4-7-5-and-7-6-could-allow-a-local-attacker-to-bypass)