IBM i is a widely deployed enterprise OS; authenticated root-level code execution can disrupt critical business systems and lead to full compromise.
CVE-2026-18669
Authenticated privilege escalation in IBM i activation engine allowing root code execution.
Is CVE-2026-18669 being exploited?
Not confirmed. CVE-2026-18669 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 0.51% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How severe is CVE-2026-18669?
CVE-2026-18669 is rated High with a CVSS score of 8.8. 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-2026-18669?
Yes. A fix has been recorded for CVE-2026-18669. The vendor advisory is the authority on the exact fixed version — apply it from there rather than from a summary.
What does CVE-2026-18669 affect?
CVE-2026-18669 affects IBM i 7.6, IBM i 7.5, IBM i 7.4, IBM i 7.3, and 1 further product or version. Confirm the exact affected versions against the vendor advisory before deciding you are exposed.
What should I do about CVE-2026-18669?
Apply vendor patch when available; restrict activation engine access and monitor for suspicious activity.
Exploitation status reflects CISA's KEV catalog as we last synced it. Check the catalog directly.
Authenticated attacker can execute malicious scripts as root via the activation engine, enabling full system compromise, persistence, and data/control theft.
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.