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CVE-2026-18163 – Remote Code Execution via Insecure Deserialization – IBM Financial Transaction Mana

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Summary

CVE-2026-18163 is a critical deserialization-of-untrusted-data vulnerability (CWE-502) in IBM Financial Transaction Manager (FTM) for RedHat OpenShift. A remote, unauthenticated attacker can supply crafted serialized data to the application and achieve arbitrary code execution on the underlying server. IBM rates the flaw at CVSS v3.1 9.8 (Critical), and it was disclosed as part of an IBM security bulletin covering multiple FTM vulnerabilities published in September 2026.

Technical details

  • Root cause: FTM for RedHat OpenShift improperly deserializes untrusted input without adequate type or integrity validation, allowing attacker-controlled object streams to be reconstructed and executed by the application.
  • Trigger conditions: An attacker sends a specially crafted serialized payload to a reachable FTM service endpoint; no authentication or user interaction is required to trigger the flaw.
  • Attack vector: Network — the vulnerable component is exposed over the network, making the flaw remotely exploitable without local access or privileges.
  • Impact: Successful exploitation results in arbitrary code execution in the context of the FTM application, giving an attacker full compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the payment-processing platform and the data it handles.

Affected software

  • IBM Financial Transaction Manager (FTM) for RedHat OpenShift, versions 4.0.6.0 through 4.0.10.0 (including Interim Fix 064)

Severity

  • CVSS v3.1 Base Score: 9.8 (Critical)
  • Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Mitigation and recommended actions

  • Immediate: Upgrade IBM Financial Transaction Manager (FTM) for RedHat OpenShift to version 4.0.11.0 or later, which IBM confirms resolves this vulnerability.
  • If patching cannot occur immediately: Restrict network access to FTM management and service endpoints to trusted internal networks only, and monitor for anomalous or malformed serialized-object traffic reaching the application, since IBM has not published an alternative workaround for this issue.

References

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