CVE-2026-9176 — Websphere Application Server
MEDIUMCVE-2026-9176 is a medium-severity (CVSS 6.7) Code Injection vulnerability in ibm websphere application server. A fix is available — see the affected versions and patch details below.
IBM WebSphere Application Server 9.0, and 8.5 is vulnerable to a security bypass due to improper authentication controls. A local attacker could exploit this vulnerability to escalate…
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.
- CISA’s own triage has not observed active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code for this CVE as of its last assessment.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2026-9176.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
How urgent is this, really
CVE-2026-9176 by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). Outside the shaded patch-first corner.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 385,987 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Counts from FIRST.org, log-scaled.
Description
IBM WebSphere Application Server 9.0, and 8.5 is vulnerable to a security bypass due to improper authentication controls. A local attacker could exploit this vulnerability to escalate privileges and gain unauthorized access to protected resources.
Affected Products
websphere application serveribmDetection & mitigation playbook
Vendor / applianceDetect
Inventory every ibm websphere application server deployment and check each version against the affected-products list above.
Fix
Apply the ibm websphere application server security patch or hotfix for CVE-2026-9176 on the affected version, following the vendor advisory for your exact build.
Workarounds
Stop passing untrusted input into the interpreter or shell: call the affected binary with an argument array rather than a composed command string, reject anything outside a strict allowlist of expected values, and run the component under an account that cannot reach beyond the work it legitimately does. Alongside that, restrict the management interface to trusted networks and apply the vendor's recommended configuration mitigations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2026-9176 being exploited in your environment?
Detect and block the exploit chain at execution, on systems you cannot patch yet.