CVE-2025-36251
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 · uneditedIBM AIX 7.2, and 7.3 and IBM VIOS 3.1, and 4.1 nimsh service SSL/TLS implementations could allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary commands due to improper process controls. This addresses additional attack vectors for a vulnerability that was previously addressed in CVE-2024-56347.
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 · moderate confidenceThe nimsh (NIM shell) service on IBM AIX 7.2/7.3 and VIOS 3.1/4.1 contains improper process controls in its SSL/TLS implementation, allowing remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands. This is a follow-up to CVE-2024-56347 addressing additional attack vectors.
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= 3.1.0= 4.1.0= 7.2= 7.3CVSS 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
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify the installed AIX or VIOS versionRun 'oslevel -s' on AIX or 'ioslevel' on VIOS to obtain the exact version numberAffected if The version matches 7.2, 7.3, 3.1.0, or 4.1.0 exactly
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Determine if nimsh service is enabledRun 'lssrc -s nimsh' or check '/etc/inittab' for nimsh entries to see if the NIM shell service is configuredAffected if The nimsh service is listed as active or the nimsh entry exists in inittab
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Check nimsh SSL/TLS configurationExamine the nimsh configuration in '/etc/nimsh' or run 'lsattr -El nimsh0' to see if SSL or TLS options are enabledAffected if SSL or TLS is enabled for the nimsh service (such as 'ssl' or 'secure' attributes set to 'true')
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Verify if security patches are appliedRun 'instfix -i' with appropriate APAR numbers for this CVE, or use 'emgr -l' on VIOS to list installed fixesAffected if No patches for CVE-2025-36251 are installed or the APAR is not listed as applied
A system is affected if it runs AIX 7.2/7.3 or VIOS 3.1.0/4.1.0 with the nimsh service enabled and SSL/TLS configured, and lacks the relevant security patches.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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.
From vendor dataApply IBM's security patches for this vulnerability to all affected AIX and VIOS systems. Restrict network access to the nimsh service and disable it if not required.
- Consultation12.0 h
- Implementation20.0 h
- Testing12.0 h
- Review / QA6.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $14,208.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-36251 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-36251 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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