Cybersecurity professionals consider CVE-2026-16140 an immediate threat requiring urgent mitigation.
Status: Received on 15 Sep 2026, 14:16 UTC
Published on: 15 Sep 2026, 14:16 UTC
CVSS Release: version 3
44488dab-36db-4358-99f9-bc116477f914
Secondary
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CVE-2026-16140: OpenBMC's IPMI implementation, phosphor-net-ipmid, is vulnerable to a logic flaw where the authorization context of an existing session can be replaced with a target account while still maintaining the original integrity and encryption keys. Several downstream vendors implement phosphor-net-ipmid as their IPMI stack, such as NVIDIA and H3C. This issue effectively allows for privilege escalation without re-authentication.
The exploitability of CVE-2026-16140 depends on two key factors: attack complexity (the level of effort required to execute an exploit) and privileges required (the access level an attacker needs).
CVE-2026-16140 presents an accessible attack vector with minimal effort required. Restricting access controls and implementing security updates are critical to reducing exploitation risks.
A lower complexity and fewer privilege requirements make exploitation easier. Security teams should evaluate these aspects to determine the urgency of mitigation strategies, such as patch management and access control policies.
Attack Complexity (AC) measures the difficulty in executing an exploit. A high AC means that specific conditions must be met, making an attack more challenging, while a low AC means the vulnerability can be exploited with minimal effort.
Privileges Required (PR) determine the level of system access necessary for an attack. Vulnerabilities requiring no privileges are more accessible to attackers, whereas high privilege requirements limit exploitation to authorized users with elevated access.
Above is the CVSS Sub-score Breakdown for CVE-2026-16140, illustrating how Base, Impact, and Exploitability factors combine to form the overall severity rating. A higher sub-score typically indicates a more severe or easier-to-exploit vulnerability.
Below is the Impact Analysis for CVE-2026-16140, showing how Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability might be affected if the vulnerability is exploited. Higher values usually signal greater potential damage.
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