AS400 Weekly Brief: June 24–30, 2025
This week brought some important updates for the AS400 community, from a critical security vulnerability requiring immediate attention to exciting advancements in AI integration and IBM’s broader technology landscape. Here’s a quick rundown of what’s been happening:
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Critical IBM i Privilege Escalation Vulnerability Discovered
A significant security flaw, identified as CVE-2025-36004, has been uncovered in IBM Facsimile Support for i, posing a serious risk to system integrity. This critical vulnerability, affecting IBM i versions 7.2 through 7.5, allows malicious actors with low-level access to gain administrative privileges by exploiting an unqualified library call. The severity of this issue, with a high CVSS base score of 8.8, means it is not merely a theoretical concern but an immediate, high-priority operational risk for administrators. IBM has released Program Temporary Fix (PTF) SJ06024 to address this, urging immediate application since no workarounds or mitigations are available. This situation underscores the ongoing importance of diligent patch management and a proactive security stance for all IBM i environments.
Published: June 26, 2025
https://cybersecuritynews.com/ibm-i-vulnerability-allows-let-attackers/ -
IBM Maximo Application Suite Boosts Efficiency with Gen AI
IBM has announced the general availability of Maximo Application Suite (MAS) version 9.1, introducing significant capabilities for end-to-end asset lifecycle management. A standout feature in this release is the new Maximo Assistant, an AI resource seamlessly integrated across the suite. This generative AI assistant is designed to automate tasks, streamline workflows, and enhance decision-making, empowering clients to deploy advanced asset management solutions in the era of data and artificial intelligence. While Maximo is not directly an AS400 application, this announcement reflects IBM’s overarching strategy to infuse AI into its enterprise software portfolio, which is highly relevant to the AS400 community.
Published: June 25, 2025
Enhanced Maximo Streamlines Workforce Efficiency, Investment Planning, and Facilities Management; Introduces Gen AI Assistant -
IBM Unveils First Quantum System Two Outside U.S. in Japan
In a notable development for advanced computing, IBM and RIKEN, a national research laboratory in Japan, have officially launched the first IBM Quantum System Two to be deployed outside of the United States. This marks a significant global milestone, as it is also the first time a quantum computer has been co-located with RIKEN’s supercomputer Fugaku. Powered by IBM’s latest Heron processor, this system is poised to advance research on complex algorithms and explore quantum-centric supercomputing approaches for challenging problems, such as fundamental chemistry. Although quantum computing does not directly involve AS400, it is part of the broader IBM Power Systems innovation narrative, indicating a sustained focus on high-performance and future-ready computing across the IBM portfolio.
Published: June 24, 2025
https://www.hpcwire.com/off-the-wire/ibm-and-riken-unveil-1st-ibm-quantum-system-two-outside-of-the-us/ -
Cyberattacks Surge 650%, Highlighting Enterprise Risk
A recent Information Risk Insight Study (IRIS) has revealed a striking 650% increase in significant cyber incidents over the past 15 years, with ransomware and infrastructure attacks showing a sharp rise. This report underscores the escalating threat landscape faced by enterprises today, emphasizing the critical need for robust cybersecurity strategies and proactive measures to protect sensitive data and maintain operational continuity across all IT systems. While this trend is not specific to AS400, its universal relevance to cybersecurity provides crucial context for why platform-specific security updates are so vital.
Published: June 24, 2025
Cyberattacks Up 650%: Insights from the IRIS Report -
IBM Storage Ceph 8.1 and Data Resiliency Services Get Key Enhancements
IBM has introduced significant updates to its Storage Ceph platform with version 8.1, focusing on enterprise scalability and flexibility. In parallel, enhancements have been rolled out to IBM’s Data Resiliency Service, featuring powerful upgrades to both the storage systems dashboard and the backup systems dashboard within IBM Storage Defender. These updates are designed to streamline data management, improve operational insights, and strengthen overall data resilience for organizations leveraging IBM’s storage solutions. For many IBM i shops, these updates are particularly important as they demonstrate IBM’s dedication to providing a cohesive and robust data infrastructure.
Published: June 27, 2025
IBM Storage Rocks 🚀 | Weekly IBM Storage News | 27 June 2025 | Global Storage
Tools & Tips
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Embracing Hybrid Cloud for IBM i
The move towards hybrid cloud continues to gain momentum for IBM i users, offering a balanced approach to IT infrastructure. Solutions like Skytap on Azure are proving valuable by helping organizations migrate and run their IBM Power workloads in the cloud. This approach provides greater scalability and remote access without requiring a complete overhaul of existing legacy applications. It effectively blends the renowned reliability of on-premise AS400 systems with the flexibility and agility of cloud environments.
Unlock Modernization for Your Legacy IBM Power Workloads​ - Skytap -
Modernizing Development with RDi
For developers working with IBM i, Rational Developer for i (RDi) remains a crucial tool for integrating modern coding practices into the platform. Its Eclipse-based interface, equipped with features like syntax highlighting, intelligent code completion, and robust debugging tools for RPG/COBOL and CL, significantly streamlines application development and maintenance. This focus on modern development tools is vital for improving developer productivity and making the IBM i platform more appealing to new talent.
https://www.srinsofttech.com/blog/top-as400-modernization-tools-in-2025/
Fun Fact
Did you know that the IBM AS/400, first introduced way back in 1988, played a pivotal role in shaping the “paperless office” environment we often take for granted today? At a time when fax machines were king and networked computers were a rarity outside of large corporations, the AS/400 made it possible for small and medium-sized businesses, and even city governments, to set up their own computer networks. This allowed them to connect workstations, printers, and other devices, running four times faster than previous systems, fundamentally changing how offices operated and paving the way for the digital work environment we now know. It was a bold prediction in '88, but it certainly came true!
The AS/400 | IBM
We’d love to hear from you! Have you participated in any AS400 events or utilized new AS400 tools recently? Share your experiences or insights with us—we’re featuring selected community voices in next week’s edition.