A local attacker who can craft a special filesystem image can cause the system to write beyond the bounds of a kernel stack during directory read operations. The out‑of‑bounds write corrupts kernel memory, potentially leading to a system crash or, in some cases, privilege escalation. The weakness is an out‑of‑bounds write (CWE‑787).

IBM AIX versions 7.2 and 7.3 are affected, with a range of service packs from AIX 7.2 TL05 SP13 to AIX 7.3 TL04 SP2, TL03 SP3, and TL02 SP5. IBM PowerVM VIOS 4.1.0, 4.1.1, and 4.1.2 are also vulnerable; the designated fix packs are 4.1.0.50 for VIOS 4.1.0, 4.1.1.30 for VIOS 4.1.1, and 4.1.2.20 for VIOS 4.1.2.

The CVSS score of 6.7 indicates a moderate severity. The EPSS score is not available, and the vulnerability is not listed in CISA’s KEV catalog, but the threat remains serious because a local attacker can trigger the flaw. In environments where an attacker can gain local access to the host, the risk of system crash or privilege escalation is substantial, so patching should be prioritized.