CVE-2026-17199 in IBM
Summary
by MITRE • 08/13/2026
IBM i 7.6, 7.5, 7.4, and 7.3 could allow a remote attacker to cause a denial of service due to unbounded resource allocation.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/13/2026
This vulnerability affects IBM i operating systems version 7.6, 7.5, 7.4, and 7.3, presenting a significant security risk that can be exploited remotely to cause system-wide denial of service conditions. The flaw stems from insufficient bounds checking in resource allocation mechanisms, allowing attackers to submit malicious requests that trigger unlimited consumption of system resources such as memory, CPU cycles, or file descriptors. This unbounded resource allocation behavior creates a predictable pattern where the system gradually depletes its available resources until legitimate operations can no longer function properly, ultimately leading to complete system unavailability.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the exploitation of input validation weaknesses within the system's resource management functions. When the affected IBM i systems process specific inputs or requests, they fail to enforce appropriate limits on resource consumption, enabling attackers to craft payloads that repeatedly allocate resources without proper bounds enforcement. This type of vulnerability aligns with CWE-770, which specifically addresses allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling, and represents a classic example of resource exhaustion attacks. The flaw exists at the system level rather than in application code, making it particularly dangerous as it can affect core operating system services and potentially compromise the availability of critical business applications running on the platform.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially compromise business continuity and data availability. Organizations relying on IBM i systems for mission-critical operations face significant risk of extended downtime during exploitation attempts, which could result in financial losses, regulatory compliance issues, and damage to customer relationships. The remote nature of the attack means that threat actors can exploit this vulnerability from outside the organization's network perimeter without requiring physical access or local credentials, making it particularly concerning for systems with exposed network services. Attackers can leverage this weakness to systematically consume available resources until system performance degrades to unusable levels or complete system crashes occur, depending on the specific resource type being targeted.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including network segmentation to limit exposure of IBM i systems to untrusted networks, deployment of intrusion detection systems to monitor for anomalous resource consumption patterns, and implementation of rate limiting controls on critical system interfaces. System administrators should also consider applying available vendor patches as soon as they become available, while implementing monitoring solutions that can detect unusual resource allocation behaviors. The mitigation strategy should align with defensive techniques outlined in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the 'Resource Exhaustion' tactic, specifically targeting the use of system resources to deny service to legitimate users. Additional protective measures include configuring firewalls to restrict access to IBM i system ports and services, implementing proper logging and alerting for resource consumption metrics, and conducting regular vulnerability assessments to identify similar weaknesses in other system components that could be exploited in combination with this vulnerability.