CVE-2026-17097: Power System Improper Validation
IBM PowerVM Hypervisor FW1120.00, FW1110.00 through FW1110.30, FW1060.00 through FW1060.80, and FW950.00 through FW950.H2 is affected by a vulnerability in the PowerVM hypervisor call interface. An attacker with root access to a guest partition can issue a specially crafted hypervisor call causing a virtual processor to become permanently unresponsive, requiring a full platform re-IPL to restore normal operation. In some cases this may also cause the guest to inject a small amount of data into hypervisor or partition memory with no attacker control over the target location. Successful exploitation results in an integrity and availability impact to the managed system.
Other sources
Power Systems Firmware is affected by a vulnerability in the PowerVM hypervisor call interface. An attacker with root access to a guest partition can issue a specially crafted hypervisor call causing a virtual processor to become permanently unresponsive, requiring a full platform re-IPL to restore normal operation. In some cases this may also cause the guest to inject a small amount of data into hypervisor or partition memory with no attacker control over the target location. Successful exploitation results in an integrity and availability impact to the managed system.
— IBM
Affected Software
Remediation
Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.
- Upgrade
Upgrade to a fixed release to a version that resolves this vulnerability.
Patch FW1060.81(1060_184) - Upgrade
Upgrade to a fixed release to a version that resolves this vulnerability.
Patch FW1060.81(1060_191) - Upgrade
Upgrade to a fixed release to a version that resolves this vulnerability.
Patch FW1110.31(1110_134) - Upgrade
Upgrade to a fixed release to a version that resolves this vulnerability.
Patch FW1120.01(1120_167) - Upgrade
Upgrade to a fixed release to a version that resolves this vulnerability.
Patch FW1110.31(1110_155) - Upgrade
Upgrade to a fixed release to a version that resolves this vulnerability.
Patch FW1120.01(1120_190) - Upgrade
Upgrade to a fixed release to a version that resolves this vulnerability.
Patch FW950.H3(950_230)
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can exploit this issue?
An attacker needs root access to a guest partition and must be able to issue a specially crafted PowerVM hypervisor call. The provided information does not indicate that unprivileged guest users or remote unauthenticated attackers can exploit it.
What is the operational impact of successful exploitation?
A crafted call can cause a virtual processor to become permanently unresponsive. Restoring normal operation requires a full platform re-IPL, affecting availability of the managed system.
Can exploitation affect memory outside the attacking guest partition?
In some cases, the issue can cause a guest to inject a small amount of data into hypervisor or partition memory. The attacker does not control the target memory location, but the result can have an integrity impact.
Which firmware levels are identified as affected?
Affected levels are FW1120.00; FW1110.00 through FW1110.30; FW1060.00 through FW1060.80; and FW950.00 through FW950.H2.