CVE-2026-7876: Authentication bypass vulnerability found in Aspera High-Speed Transfer Server for Cloud Pak for Integration

Synopsis

An authentication bypass vulnerability affects IBM Aspera High-Speed Transfer Server (HSTS) for Cloud Pak for Integration versions 1.5.1 through 1.5.19. The flaw is reachable over the network with no credentials required and no user interaction needed, making it trivially exploitable by any remote attacker who can reach the service. Successful exploitation gives an attacker full read and write access to data handled by the transfer server, posing a serious risk of data theft and tampering. No fix version has been published yet; HarborGuard is tracking the advisory for patch availability.

HarborGuard Coverage

Exploit Conditions

• Network reachabilityRequired

  The vulnerable service is exposed over the network, meaning an attacker must be able to reach it via TCP/IP from any remote location.

• AuthenticationNot required

  No credentials of any kind are needed; the bypass allows unauthenticated access to protected functionality.

• Victim interactionNot required

  The attacker does not need to trick or involve any user; the exploit is fully self-contained against the server.

• Attack complexityDetail

  Exploitation is reliable and condition-free, requiring no race conditions, specific memory layout, or environmental prerequisites.

Blast Radius

• Reads any file or data object accessible to the Aspera HSTS transfer service, including files in transit and stored transfer artifacts.
• Writes or overwrites files managed by the transfer service, allowing an attacker to inject malicious content into outbound or inbound data flows.
• Exfiltrates credentials, tokens, or configuration data stored or passed through the affected HSTS instance.
• Tampers with transfer manifests or metadata, corrupting data integrity guarantees for downstream consumers.