IBM i / AS/400 security
IBM i runs your core business, yet sits in a blind spot of standard security tooling. We give you an evidence-based picture of your current security posture, a prioritised path to fixing it, and the tooling to stay that way — from the team behind 15+ vendor-confirmed IBM i CVEs.
# low-privileged user, internal network $ probe --target LPAR01 --mode assumed-breach [*] enumerating remote interfaces ........ ok [*] DDM / DRDA / host servers ............ exposed [*] adopted authority & library list .... abusable [*] unqualified library call ............. CVE-class [+] privilege escalation .......... *PUBLIC -> *ALLOBJ $ _
Why Silent Signal
We actively reverse-engineer the platform, its configuration and its ecosystem, so we find the vulnerabilities that are genuinely exploitable — and report them. The vulnerabilities we report to IBM become public CVEs. Through our Exclusive Vulnerability Feed, customers can mitigate IBM i and ISV vulnerabilities before a vendor fix is available. Compliance tooling checks your configuration against a standard; we know the attack paths, because we built the exploits. Beyond IBM i, our researchers have found and reported vulnerabilities in products from Cisco, Oracle, Symantec, FireEye and Trend Micro.
Why now
DORA and NIS2 put operational resilience and ICT risk for critical systems on the board's agenda. IBM i is exactly the kind of system these frameworks — and long-standing standards — expect you to assess.
Market reality
Standard scanners, EDR and pentest playbooks were not built for the platform. The result is a critical system that runs the business but is rarely tested the way Windows, Linux or Unix hosts are.
What you actually get
A test that ends with a PDF leaves you to do the hard part alone. We deliver a clear picture of where you stand, a prioritised way to fix it, and the means to keep it fixed — on your real systems.
An evidence-based picture of your current IBM i security state — what's exposed, what's actually exploitable, and what it means for the business. No guesswork, no assumptions.
Every finding comes with concrete remediation across system, application and configuration layers, ordered by real-world risk — so your team fixes what matters first, not everything at once.
iCompliant re-checks your posture non-intrusively on production — no separate test environment, nothing installed on the IBM i, run as often as you like. Confirm fixes actually landed and stay landed.
Through the Exclusive Vulnerability Feed you get mitigation guidance for IBM i and ISV zero-days before vendor patches are available — closing the gap others don't even see yet.
How to engage
From a fast risk snapshot, to continuous configuration assurance, to deep manual attack validation. Most programs combine them.
A focused single-LPAR scan covering the ~20 most critical pentest-based checks — the attack paths generic compliance tools don't look for — with setup guidance and a one-hour results review.
Configuration and hardening assessment from system values to object authorization — run as often as you need, with zero software installed on the target IBM i. Transparent, published pricing.
Assumed-breach IBM i penetration testing that traces low-privileged credentials through to realistic, business-impacting attack paths — built on our own lab, tools and methodology.
Assessment & remediation
They answer different questions. Penetration testing proves what an attacker can do; iCompliant keeps the whole system continuously in a defensible state.
| Dimension | Penetration testing | iCompliant |
|---|---|---|
| Objective | Identify and exploit vulnerabilities | Assess and review the security configuration |
| Automation | Manual testing and human-driven analysis | Automated process using specialised tools |
| Approach | Simulate real-world attacks | Comprehensive examination of the system |
| Intrusiveness | Intrusive and aggressive testing | Non-intrusive |
| Frequency | Periodically, or before major updates | Regularly, to maintain security posture |
| Scope | Specific targets or applications | Covers the whole system |
| Time & resources | Time-consuming and resource-intensive | Quicker, requires fewer resources |
| Methodology | Mix of black-box and grey-box testing | White-box audit |
| Report | Vulnerabilities, impact, remediation | Vulnerabilities, impact, remediation |
| Cost | Higher — manual effort and expertise | Often more cost-effective |
How an engagement works
A short scoping call defines targets, LPARs and goals — and which path fits (pilot, assessment or pentest).
We test from an assumed-breach position and/or run iCompliant — remotely, over a connection you provide.
You receive findings with business impact and concrete remediation, ordered by real-world risk.
Confirm fixes landed — and stay landed — by re-running iCompliant on your live systems, as often as you need.
Proof, independently verified
These are recent highlights of a much larger public record. Every advisory links to IBM's own CVE notice; every write-up is published in full. Nothing here is marketing — it's all verifiable.
In their words
Published testimonials from Silent Signal's clients, attributed by sector. IBM i runs in exactly these environments — finance, regulated industry — where reports must satisfy auditors and tests must not disrupt production.
The works were done punctually. The tests did not cause any side effects. All our audit requirements have been met. The report is clear, understandable and makes sense to us.
The Silent Signal team does nothing that others do — however they only do what others in this country cannot.
The success of the project along with the quality and professionalism impressed us. There's no question who we'll ask for such jobs and recommend to others in the future.
Verbatim from Silent Signal's published client references.
On-demand webinar
Why does IBM i need to be secured — and why wasn't it an issue for the past 35 years? We have proven that breaking into an IBM i system remotely and escalating to a privileged user is possible, and can take less than a minute. We're white-hat hackers: every finding has been reported and vendor-patched with a CVE.
CIOs and CISOs have long struggled to gain visibility into mission-critical data held in proven, heart-of-the-infrastructure systems like IBM i. It's time to shift the paradigm — we show you why and how.
Request webinar access →Bálint Varga-Perke
Co-founder & IT security expert, Silent Signal
Jack Wilkins
Technical consultant, Chilli IT
What drives us
That passionate hackers provide unique insight into the security of all layers of IT systems through world-class research — to find the vulnerabilities that matter.
To hold IBM i to the same security standard as every other tier-one system: find the genuinely exploitable vulnerabilities before attackers do, and give defenders a clear, prioritised path to fix them.
An IBM i ecosystem secured on evidence — assessed and proven, not assumed safe by reputation.
Get started
Start with a Pilot Assessment, request an iCompliant demo, or scope a penetration test. One conversation tells you where you stand.
Request a demo or scoping call →