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NVD / CVE Program· CNA ibm

CVE-2026-16184: IBM WebSphere Application Server is affected by an authentication bypass

CriticalCVSS 9.8 · v3.1—No exploit No fix recorded

Noroxi assessment

Priority: Monitor (action score 39/100)

  • The sources we track (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei, GitHub) show no public exploit code or exploitation in the wild.
  • Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 0.47% (FIRST EPSS).
  • Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it. No account or password is required. No user action is required. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
  • According to the record, no fixed version is available yet.
  • Severity is disputed: the assigning authority (CNA) scores it 7.0, NVD 9.8.

Low priority for now. Update when a fix is released; follow the vendor's advisory.

Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it

Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS

IBM WebSphere Application Server 9.0, and 8.5 could allow a remote attacker to bypass authentication by sending a crafted unauthenticated request.

Published
Jul 28, 2026
Updated
Oct 23, 2026
EPSS
0.4% · 41th percentile

Report tools

JSON

Action score

39

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS
39 / 40 · 9.8 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
0 / 30 · 0.4%

CISA SSVC decision

Exploitation
none
Automatable
no
Technical impact
partial

Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.

CNA vs NVD score

NVD
9.8
CNA · ibm
7.0
2.8 point gap

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

The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.

Get told when this record changes

  • Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
  • No public exploit code on record
  • No fixed version yet

If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.

Follow CVE-2026-16184

When you'll hear from us

  • when it enters CISA KEV
  • when exploit code appears or is weaponized
  • when the record is updated (including a fixed version)
  • when EPSS rises 20 points in a week

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Noroxi analysis

What does it mean in your environment?

The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.

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Affected systems

Is your version affected?

Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.

VendorProduct
ibmwebsphere application server

Versions reported by the vendor

Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (ibm). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.

  • IBM WebSphere Application Server

    • 9.0, 8.5affected

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

  • ibm websphere application server8.5.0.0 and later · before 8.5.5.31
  • ibm websphere application server9.0.0.0 and later · before 9.0.5.29

Same product

ibm: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2019-4279IBM WebSphere Application Server 8.5 and 9.0 could allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on the system with a specially-crafted…
    63This week
  • CVE-2020-4450IBM WebSphere Application Server 8.5 and 9.0 traditional could allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on the system with a…
    49Plan
  • CVE-2025-36038IBM WebSphere Application Server code execution
    43Plan

Published before and after this one in the same product

  • ← EarlierCVE-2026-15325Jul 28, 2026 · IBM WebSphere Application Server and WebSphere Application Server Liberty are affected by multiple vulnerabilities
    34Monitor
  • ← EarlierCVE-2026-15328Jul 28, 2026 · IBM WebSphere Application Server and WebSphere Application Server Liberty is inconsistent Interpretation of HTTP Requests
    32Monitor
  • Later →CVE-2026-16192Jul 28, 2026 · IBM WebSphere Application Server Liberty is affected by a denial of service
    26Monitor

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

No fix version is recorded for this entry. Check the references for vendor advisories.

Exploit status

No known public exploit

No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.

Research context

For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.

Timeline

From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.

No dated events beyond publication.

EPSS, last 120 days

FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).

Variant candidates

Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.

  • CVE-2026-1618748 days apartIBM WebSphere Application Server prior to 9.0.5.29 and 8.5.5.31 are affected by multiple vulnerabilities
    26Monitor
  • CVE-2026-1618548 days apartIBM WebSphere Application Server prior to 9.0.5.29 and 8.5.5.31 are affected by multiple vulnerabilities
    25Monitor
  • CVE-2026-1154552 days apartIBM WebSphere Application Server is affected by a privilege escalation
    14Monitor
  • CVE-2026-1619048 days apartIBM WebSphere Application Server prior to 9.0.5.29 and 8.5.5.31 are affected by multiple vulnerabilities
    12Monitor

Chain candidates

An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.

  • CVE-2026-115362 days apartIBM WebSphere Application Server is affected by a remote code execution vulnerability
    34Monitor
  • CVE-2026-917644 days apartIBM WebSphere Application Server prior to 9.0.5.29 and 8.5.5.31 are affected by multiple vulnerabilities
    28Monitor
  • CVE-2026-1057116 days apartIBM WebSphere Application Server Liberty is affected by a denial of service
    21Monitor
  • CVE-2026-1588748 days apartIBM WebSphere Application Server prior to 9.0.5.29 and 8.5.5.31 are affected by multiple vulnerabilities
    21Monitor

Bug bounty scope

The product’s vendor appears in a public program. Matched by name; verify the scope text in the program.

Not on record for this CVE: patch commit or PR link · researcher credit.

Technical details

Attack conditions

  • Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
  • No account or password is required.
  • No user action is required.
  • No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.

If successful

Confidentiality
high · data can be read
Integrity
high · data or configuration can be modified
Availability
high · the service can be disrupted
Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality impact
High
Integrity impact
High
Availability impact
High

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-862 · Missing Authorization

CVSS vector

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

nvd-primary

Attack context

MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

References

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

All records