Quick answer
Direct answer
Risk scores
| CVSS metric | What it means |
|---|---|
| Attack vector (AV:L) | Local access needed |
| Attack complexity (AC:L) | Low complexity |
| Privileges required (PR:L) | Low privileges required |
| User interaction (UI:N) | No user interaction |
| Scope (S:C) | Scope changed: impact spreads beyond the component |
| Confidentiality (C:N) | No confidentiality impact |
| Integrity (I:L) | Low integrity impact |
| Availability (A:H) | High availability impact |
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:L/A:H
About Ibm Power System S922 (9009-22g) Firmware
CVE-2026-17042 affects Ibm Power System S922 (9009-22g) Firmware, a product from Ibm. Before acting, confirm where Ibm Power System S922 (9009-22g) Firmware runs in your estate, who owns it and whether it is reachable from the internet, because exposure decides real risk more than the score alone.
What the flaw is
In plain terms: IBM Power Systems Firmware FW950.00 through FW950.H2, OP940.00 through OP940.a1 (Power9), and OP940.00 - OP940.81 (Power HMC) is affected by a vulnerability in host firmware NVRAM parsing. An attacker with root access to a guest partition on an OpenPOWER system can write a specially crafted NVRAM image, causing the host firmware boot stage to crash with possible memory corruption. This condition persists until operator intervention — clearing NVRAM via the service processor — to restore normal operation. This vulnerability only affects OpenPOWER systems; systems running PowerVM are not affected. Successful exploitation results in an integrity and availability impact to the managed system.
The weakness class is Out of Bounds Read. The program reads memory past the end of a buffer, leaking data or crashing.
Based on its CVSS vector, the flaw needs local or adjacent access, needs some level of access, and needs no user interaction. Apply the vendor fix and confirm exposure on internet facing and business critical assets first.
Affected versions and timeline
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Product | Ibm Power System S922 (9009-22g) Firmware |
| Affected versions | Power System S922 (9009-22g) Firmware from fw950.00 before fw950.h3; Power System H922 (9223-22s) Firmware from fw950.00 before fw950.h3; Power System S914 (9009-41g) Firmware from fw950.00 before fw950.h3; Power System S924 (9009-42g) Firmware from fw950.00 before fw950.h3; Power System H924 (9223-42s) Firmware from fw950.00 before fw950.h3; Power System E950 (9040-Mr9) Firmware from fw950.00 before fw950.h3; Power System E980 (9080-M9s) Firmware from fw950.00 before fw950.h3; Power System Ac922 (8335-Gth) Firmware from op940 before op940.a2; Power System Ac922 (8335-Gtx) Firmware from op940 before op940.a2; Power Hardware Management Console (7063-Cr2) Firmware from op940 before op940.82 |
| Published | Aug 19, 2026 |
| Last modified | Aug 25, 2026 |
| Added to CISA KEV | Not listed |
| Assigning CNA | psirt@us.ibm.com |
How to detect it
- Inventory every instance of Ibm Power System S922 (9009-22g) Firmware and record the running version against the affected range above.
- Check external attack surface scans for internet facing instances of the component.
- Review logs on affected systems for unusual requests, errors or new processes around the vulnerable function.
- Confirm with an authenticated vulnerability scan once your scanner has a check for this CVE.
How to fix it
- Apply the fixed version of Ibm Power System S922 (9009-22g) Firmware named in the vendor advisory.
- If patching must wait, restrict network access to the affected service and put it behind authentication or a web application firewall rule.
- Rescan after the change to prove the exposure is gone, then close the ticket.
CTEM action plan
| CTEM stage | What to do for this CVE |
|---|---|
| Scope | Add every business service that depends on Ibm Power System S922 (9009-22g) Firmware to the current CTEM cycle. |
| Discover | Find all instances, including shadow and cloud deployments, and record versions and exposure. |
| Prioritize | Rank using EPSS and CVSS together with asset exposure and business impact. |
| Validate | Confirm the flaw is reachable and exploitable in your environment and that compensating controls work. |
| Mobilize | Assign the fix to the asset owner with a due date matched to the priority, then verify closure. |
CWE References
- CWE-125: Out of Bounds Read More CVEs with this weakness
Technical References
Frequently asked questions
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