CVE-2026-92876: IBM Maximo IoT Component DOS Vulnerability

CVE-2026-92876 Overview

CVE-2026-92876 affects the IBM Maximo Application Suite IoT Component versions 9.0.0, 9.1.0, and 9.2.0. The vulnerability stems from uncontrolled recursion [CWE-674] in the IoT Component code path. A remote, unauthenticated attacker can send crafted input that triggers deep recursive processing. This exhausts stack or memory resources and leads to a denial-of-service condition that disrupts availability of the IoT services within Maximo.

Critical Impact
Remote attackers can crash the IBM Maximo Application Suite IoT Component without authentication or user interaction, disrupting asset management and IoT telemetry workflows.

Affected Products

IBM Maximo Application Suite - IoT Component 9.0.0
IBM Maximo Application Suite - IoT Component 9.1.0
IBM Maximo Application Suite - IoT Component 9.2.0

Discovery Timeline

2026-10-12 - CVE-2026-92876 published to the National Vulnerability Database
2026-10-16 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-92876

Vulnerability Analysis

The IBM Maximo Application Suite IoT Component contains an uncontrolled recursion flaw classified under [CWE-674]. The component processes input through a function that invokes itself without enforcing a depth limit or termination guard. An attacker can submit crafted data that forces repeated recursive calls. Each recursive call consumes additional stack frames until the process exhausts available stack space. The result is a crash of the IoT Component process and loss of availability for dependent Maximo workflows.

The attack surface is network-exposed and does not require credentials or user interaction. Exploitation targets availability only; confidentiality and integrity of data remain unaffected. The impact is scoped to the IoT Component and services that depend on it for telemetry ingestion and device management.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing recursion depth validation in input-processing logic within the IoT Component. The affected routine accepts untrusted structured input and recurses on nested elements without bounding the call stack. IBM has not published implementation-level details beyond the advisory listed in external references.

Attack Vector

An unauthenticated remote attacker sends a crafted request to the exposed IoT Component endpoint. The request contains deeply nested or self-referential data structures that force recursive parsing. Repeated exploitation can render the IoT Component unavailable until the service is restarted or the input source is blocked.

No verified proof-of-concept code is publicly available. Refer to the IBM Support Page for vendor technical details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-92876

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected crashes or restarts of the IBM Maximo IoT Component service with stack overflow signatures in logs.
Sudden spikes in CPU and memory consumption by Maximo IoT processes followed by process termination.
Inbound network requests containing abnormally deep nested payloads directed at IoT Component endpoints.

Detection Strategies

Inspect application and container logs for recursive call traces, StackOverflowError entries, or OutOfMemory events tied to the IoT Component.
Baseline normal request structure for IoT endpoints and alert on payloads exceeding expected nesting depth or size.
Correlate repeated service restarts with inbound traffic patterns from single or small sets of source addresses.

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable health and liveness probes on Maximo IoT Component pods to detect and record repeated crash loops.
Forward Maximo IoT logs and Kubernetes events to a centralized SIEM for anomaly detection on service availability.
Monitor network traffic to IoT endpoints for request volume anomalies and payload entropy changes.

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-92876

Immediate Actions Required

Apply the fix referenced in the IBM Support Page for Maximo Application Suite IoT Component versions 9.0.0, 9.1.0, and 9.2.0.
Restrict network access to IoT Component endpoints so only trusted devices and gateways can reach them.
Place a reverse proxy or API gateway in front of the IoT Component to enforce request size and depth limits.

Patch Information

IBM has published remediation guidance in advisory node 7290173. Administrators should consult the IBM Support Page for the fixed version, upgrade path, and any interim fixpacks that address CVE-2026-92876.

Workarounds

Enforce payload size caps and nesting depth limits at the ingress proxy or Web Application Firewall layer.
Rate-limit requests to IoT Component endpoints to reduce the impact of repeated exploitation attempts.
Isolate the IoT Component on a dedicated network segment accessible only from authenticated upstream services.

bash

# Example NGINX ingress snippet to cap request body size
# and limit request rate to Maximo IoT Component endpoints
http {
    limit_req_zone $binary_remote_addr zone=iot_rl:10m rate=10r/s;

    server {
        listen 443 ssl;
        server_name maximo-iot.example.com;

        client_max_body_size 256k;
        client_body_buffer_size 64k;

        location /iot/ {
            limit_req zone=iot_rl burst=20 nodelay;
            proxy_pass http://maximo-iot-backend;
        }
    }
}