dbcve.org
ViosApplication · Ibm

CVE-2025-36236

CRITICAL · 9.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-11-13
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
IBM AIX 7.2, and 7.3 and IBM VIOS 3.1, and 4.1 NIM server (formerly known as NIM master) service (nimesis) could allow a remote attacker to traverse directories on the system. An attacker could send a specially crafted URL request to write arbitrary files on the system.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

A path traversal vulnerability in the IBM AIX and VIOS NIM (Network Installation Management) server service (nimesis) allows remote attackers to traverse directories and write arbitrary files to the filesystem via specially crafted URL requests. This remote unauthenticated attack vector achieves code execution equivalent by writing malicious files to sensitive locations.

MitigationApply IBM's security patch for this vulnerability (consult IBM AIX security bulletins). If patches are unavailable, disable the nimesis service or restrict network access to the NIM server port(s) until remediation is possible.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
ViosApplication
Affected:= 3.1.0= 4.1.0
AixOperating system
Affected:= 7.2= 7.3

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify the installed AIX or VIOS version
    Run the command 'oslevel -s' on the system to obtain the full version level, or use 'lsmcode -c' to display the current system firmware and software levels
    Affected if The reported version is 7.2.x or 7.3.x for AIX, or 3.1.0 or 4.1.0 for VIOS, matching the affected versions listed in the CVE
  2. Verify the nimesis service status
    Run the command 'lssrc -s nimesis' to check if the NIM server service (nimesis) is currently active on the system
    Affected if The nimesis service shows as 'active' or 'running' in the output, indicating the vulnerable component is enabled
  3. Confirm port 1058 is listening
    Run the command 'netstat -an | grep 1058' or 'ss -tnlp | grep 1058' to check if the NIM service port 1058/TCP is open and listening for connections
    Affected if Port 1058/TCP is shown as listening, meaning the NIM server is accepting network connections and the attack surface is exposed
  4. Inspect NIM service configuration
    Check the NIM master configuration using 'lsnim -l' or review the /etc/niminfo file to confirm NIM is configured as a master or server
    Affected if The system is configured as a NIM master or NIM server with nimesis actively handling requests

A system is affected if it runs AIX 7.2/7.3 or VIOS 3.1.0/4.1.0 AND has the nimesis service running and listening on port 1058/TCP, exposing the directory traversal vulnerability to remote attackers.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply IBM's security patch for this vulnerability (consult IBM AIX security bulletins). If patches are unavailable, disable the nimesis service or restrict network access to the NIM server port(s) until remediation is possible.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Apply IBM security patch for CVE-2025-36236 (contact IBM Support for specific patch level)

  1. Check the current AIX Technology Level (tl) and Service Pack (sp) with 'oslevel -s' and 'instfix -i | grep ML'
  2. Check the current VIOS version with 'oem_platform_level'
  3. Contact IBM Support or visit https://www.ibm.com/support to obtain the specific security patch for CVE-2025-36236
  4. Apply the IBM security patch following the provided installation instructions
  5. Verify the patch was applied successfully by re-checking the NIM nimesis service version
  6. Test that the NIM functionality works correctly after the patch
Caveat Test in non-production first; patches for critical vulnerabilities may have compatibility considerations

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Vios Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,980
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,168.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-36236 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-36236 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data