Quick answers
- Is CVE-2026-19449 exploited in the wild?
- No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-19449 being exploited in the wild.
- How severe is CVE-2026-19449?
- High severity, with a CVSS score of 8.8, published 20 August 2026.
- Which products and versions are affected?
- IBM Aix 7.2, 7.3; IBM PowerVM VIOS 4.1.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2026-19449?
- A patch was published on 2026-08-21: IBM released security updates through service packs and fix packs Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.
- How is CVE-2026-19449 attacked?
- It is attacked with local access.
- Am I affected by CVE-2026-19449?
- Check whether you run IBM Aix or IBM PowerVM VIOS 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
A privilege escalation vulnerability exists in the cmdnim utility in IBM AIX 7.2, 7.3, and IBM PowerVM VIOS 4.1. An unprivileged local user can exploit this flaw to execute arbitrary payload code with root-level privileges. The attack requires local access but does not require elevated privileges or user interaction. This is a direct privilege escalation vulnerability with immediate practical implications for system compromise. Patches are available through IBM service packs and fix packs.
Affected products
- IBM AIX 7.2, 7.3
- IBM PowerVM VIOS 4.1
Timeline
- 2026-08-20: disclosed
- 2026-08-21: patched: IBM released security updates through service packs and fix packs