High-severity RCE in IBM i (widely deployed enterprise OS); could enable full system compromise across many organizations.
CVE-2026-16860
Authenticated remote code execution via uncontrolled search path in IBM i 7.3–7.6.
Is CVE-2026-16860 being exploited?
Not confirmed. CVE-2026-16860 does not appear in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, which records only exploitation that has been observed and reported publicly. That is evidence of absence of a report, not evidence the flaw is unattacked. EPSS currently estimates a 0.52% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How severe is CVE-2026-16860?
CVE-2026-16860 is rated Critical with a CVSS score of 9.9. Severity describes how bad exploitation would be, not how likely it is: pair it with exploitation evidence before deciding what to patch first.
Is there a patch for CVE-2026-16860?
Yes. A fix has been recorded for CVE-2026-16860. The vendor advisory is the authority on the exact fixed version — apply it from there rather than from a summary.
What does CVE-2026-16860 affect?
CVE-2026-16860 affects IBM i 7.6, IBM i 7.5, IBM i 7.4, IBM i 7.3. Confirm the exact affected versions against the vendor advisory before deciding you are exposed.
What should I do about CVE-2026-16860?
Apply vendor patch/workaround immediately; otherwise restrict access, enforce least privilege, and monitor logs.
Exploitation status reflects CISA's KEV catalog as we last synced it. Check the catalog directly.
Authenticated remote attacker can execute arbitrary code on IBM i systems via manipulated search path, enabling full system compromise.
Immediate action required
- affected7.6
- affected7.5
- affected7.4
- affected7.3
As published in the CVE Program record. A version outside these ranges is not a statement that it is unaffected — vendors sometimes understate a range, and distribution-backported builds carry upstream numbers that do not reflect what was patched into them.