---
id: CVE-2026-16989
title: >-
  IBM AIX 7.2, and 7.3 and IBM PowerVM VIOS 4.1 could allow a local attacker to
  gain elevated privileges due to improper resolution of symbolic links.
summary: >-
  IBM AIX 7.2, and 7.3 and IBM PowerVM VIOS 4.1 could allow a local attacker to
  gain elevated privileges due to improper resolution of symbolic links.
severity: high
cvss: 7.1
cvssVector: 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N'
cwe:
  - CWE-59
published: '2026-08-20'
updated: '2026-08-22'
source: NVD
sourceUrl: 'https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-16989'
references:
  - url: 'https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7283858'
    label: psirt@us.ibm.com
tags:
  - nvd
epss: 0.00129
epssPercentile: 0.02107
ingestedAt: '2026-08-23T03:41:35.983Z'
---

## Overview

IBM AIX 7.2, and 7.3 and IBM PowerVM VIOS 4.1 could allow a local attacker to gain elevated privileges due to improper resolution of symbolic links.

## Remediation

Refer to the linked advisories for vendor-supplied fixes and affected version ranges.