CVE-2026-17042 — HIGH (7.3)

Vulnerability Description

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.

CVSS Score

7.3

HIGH

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:L/A:H

Attack Vector

LOCAL

Attack Complexity

LOW

Privileges Required

LOW

User Interaction

NONE

Scope

CHANGED

Confidentiality

NONE

Integrity

LOW

Availability

HIGH

Related Weaknesses (CWE)

CWE-125

References

https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7283240

FAQ

What is CVE-2026-17042?

CVE-2026-17042 is a vulnerability with a CVSS score of 7.3 (HIGH). 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...

How severe is CVE-2026-17042?

CVE-2026-17042 has been rated HIGH with a CVSS base score of 7.3/10. Review the CVSS metrics above for detailed severity breakdown.

Is there a patch for CVE-2026-17042?

Check the references section above for vendor advisories and patch information. Review vendor security bulletins for remediation guidance.