CVE-2026-1345: IBM Security Verify Access RCE Vulnerability

CVE-2026-1345 Overview

CVE-2026-1345 is a command injection vulnerability affecting IBM Verify Identity Access Container and IBM Security Verify Access products. The vulnerability exists due to improper validation of user-supplied input, which allows an unauthenticated attacker to execute arbitrary commands on the affected system with lower user privileges. This represents a significant security risk as it requires no authentication and can be exploited remotely over the network.

Critical Impact

Unauthenticated remote attackers can execute arbitrary commands on vulnerable IBM identity and access management systems, potentially leading to system compromise, data theft, or lateral movement within enterprise networks.

Affected Products

• IBM Verify Identity Access Container 11.0 through 11.0.2
• IBM Security Verify Access Container 10.0 through 10.0.9.1
• IBM Verify Identity Access 11.0 through 11.0.2
• IBM Security Verify Access 10.0 through 10.0.9.1

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-04-01 - CVE-2026-1345 published to NVD
• 2026-04-01 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-1345

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-78 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command), commonly known as OS Command Injection. The flaw allows unauthenticated users to inject and execute arbitrary operating system commands through the affected IBM identity management products.

The vulnerability can be exploited remotely without requiring authentication, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where these identity and access management solutions are often exposed to network traffic. While the commands execute with lower user privileges rather than administrative rights, successful exploitation still provides attackers with a foothold on the system that could be leveraged for further attacks.

The impact spans confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected systems, as arbitrary command execution can be used to read sensitive data, modify system configurations, or disrupt services.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2026-1345 is improper validation of user-supplied input before it is passed to operating system command execution functions. The affected IBM products fail to adequately sanitize or escape special characters and command sequences in user input, allowing malicious actors to inject additional commands that are then executed by the underlying operating system.

This type of vulnerability typically occurs when user-controllable data is concatenated directly into shell commands without proper input validation, output encoding, or the use of parameterized command execution methods.

Attack Vector

The attack vector for this vulnerability is network-based, requiring no authentication or user interaction. An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by sending specially crafted requests to the vulnerable IBM Verify Identity Access or Security Verify Access services.

The attack workflow typically involves:

1. Identifying an exposed IBM Verify Identity Access or Security Verify Access instance
2. Crafting malicious input containing OS command injection payloads
3. Submitting the payload through vulnerable input fields or API endpoints
4. Achieving command execution on the target system with lower user privileges

For detailed technical information about this vulnerability, refer to the IBM Security Advisory.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-1345

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected process spawning from IBM Verify Identity Access or Security Verify Access processes
• Unusual outbound network connections from identity management servers
• Command shell processes (bash, sh, cmd.exe) spawned as child processes of application services
• Log entries showing malformed or suspicious input patterns containing shell metacharacters

Detection Strategies

• Monitor web application firewall (WAF) logs for command injection patterns such as semicolons, pipes, backticks, and $() command substitution syntax
• Implement network intrusion detection rules to identify command injection attempts targeting IBM identity management products
• Deploy endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to monitor for anomalous process execution chains
• Review application logs for error messages that may indicate failed injection attempts

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable verbose logging on IBM Verify Identity Access and Security Verify Access instances
• Configure SIEM alerts for command injection attack patterns targeting identity management infrastructure
• Monitor system process trees for unexpected child processes spawned from application contexts
• Track file system changes and network connections originating from identity management servers

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-1345

Immediate Actions Required

• Identify all IBM Verify Identity Access and Security Verify Access instances in your environment
• Apply network segmentation to limit exposure of affected systems to untrusted networks
• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to filter command injection payloads
• Review access logs for signs of exploitation attempts
• Apply vendor-provided patches as soon as available

Patch Information

IBM has released security updates to address this vulnerability. Organizations running affected versions should immediately review the IBM Security Advisory for specific patch information and upgrade instructions.

Affected organizations should upgrade to:

• IBM Verify Identity Access Container versions later than 11.0.2
• IBM Security Verify Access Container versions later than 10.0.9.1
• IBM Verify Identity Access versions later than 11.0.2
• IBM Security Verify Access versions later than 10.0.9.1

Workarounds

• Place affected systems behind a WAF configured to block command injection patterns
• Restrict network access to identity management systems using firewall rules and network segmentation
• Implement strict input validation at network perimeter devices
• Monitor systems closely for indicators of compromise until patches can be applied

# Example WAF rule to block common command injection patterns
# Add to your WAF configuration to filter malicious requests
# Block requests containing shell metacharacters in parameters
# Characters: ; | ` $( ) && || > < 
# Note: This is a temporary mitigation - apply vendor patches as primary fix