CVE-2026-17491: IBM i is Affected By An Improper Privilege Management Vulnerability in OpenSSH

Q: What level of access does an attacker need to exploit this issue?

The attacker must be remotely authenticated. No user interaction is required.

Q: Which systems should be prioritized for review?

Review IBM i systems running versions 7.3, 7.4, 7.5, or 7.6, particularly where OpenSSH access is enabled.

Published Oct 13, 2026

Updated

IBM i 7.3, 7.4, 7.5, and 7.6 is could allow a remote authenticated attacker to bypass security restrictions due to improper enforcement of the ChrootDirectory configuration directive.

Other sources

IBM i could allow a remote authenticated attacker to bypass security restrictions due to improper enforcement of the ChrootDirectory configuration directive.

— IBM

Affected Software

8 affected components

IBM i<=7.6

IBM i<=7.5

IBM i<=7.4

IBM i<=7.3

IBM i=7.3

IBM i=7.4

IBM i=7.5

IBM i=7.6

Remediation

Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.

Upgrade
Upgrade IBM i 7.6 to a version that resolves this vulnerability.
Patch SJ11849
Upgrade
Upgrade IBM i 7.5 to a version that resolves this vulnerability.
Patch SJ11850
Upgrade
Upgrade IBM i 7.4 to a version that resolves this vulnerability.
Patch SJ11852
Upgrade
Upgrade IBM i 7.3 to a version that resolves this vulnerability.
Patch SJ11852

Event History

Oct 13, 2026

CVE Published

via IBM·12:00 AM

Data Sourced

via IBM·12:00 AM

DescriptionAffected Software

Oct 16, 2026

CVE Published

via MITRE·06:38 PM

Data Sourced

via MITRE·06:38 PM

RemedyDescriptionSeverityWeakness

Data Sourced

via NVD·07:17 PM

DescriptionSeverityWeaknessAffected Software

Parent advisories

This vulnerability appears in the following advisories.

IBM-7292273

Frequently Asked Questions

What level of access does an attacker need to exploit this issue?

The attacker must be remotely authenticated. No user interaction is required.

Which systems should be prioritized for review?

Review IBM i systems running versions 7.3, 7.4, 7.5, or 7.6, particularly where OpenSSH access is enabled.

CVE-2026-17491: IBM i is Affected By An Improper Privilege Management Vulnerability in OpenSSH

Other sources

Affected Software

Remediation

Event History

Parent advisories

Frequently Asked Questions

What level of access does an attacker need to exploit this issue?

Which systems should be prioritized for review?

Company

Resources

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