A critical use-after-free vulnerability has been identified in IBM AIX versions 7.2 and 7.3, as well as IBM PowerVM VIOS 4.1. The vulnerability allows a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on affected systems. Use-after-free vulnerabilities occur when a program continues to use memory after it has been freed, potentially allowing attackers to manipulate program execution. The flaw poses a significant risk to enterprise environments running IBM AIX or PowerVM VIOS infrastructure. IBM has published an advisory with remediation guidance. Organizations using affected versions should apply patches or mitigations promptly. The vulnerability is tracked as CVE-2026-17118 and has been assigned a high criticality rating.
