CVE-2026-17503: This Power System update is being released to address
IBM PowerVM Hypervisor FW1120.00 through FW1120.01, FW1110.00 through FW1110.31, FW1060.00 through FW1060.81, and FW950.00 through FW950.H3 is affected by a vulnerability in the partition firmware runtime boot configuration. An attacker with root access to a partition can maliciously alter partition nvram, causing the partition to fail to boot. This condition persists until operator intervention — deleting and recreating the partition configuration — to restore normal operation. Successful exploitation results in an integrity and availability impact.
Other sources
Power Systems Firmware is affected by a vulnerability in the partition firmware runtime boot configuration. An attacker with root access to a partition can maliciously alter partition nvram, causing the partition to fail to boot. This condition persists until operator intervention — deleting and recreating the partition configuration — to restore normal operation. Successful exploitation results in an integrity and availability impact.
— IBM
Affected Software
Remediation
Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.
- Upgrade
Upgrade
IBM PowerVM Hypervisorto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in FW1060.82Patch 1060_189 - Upgrade
Upgrade
IBM PowerVM Hypervisorto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in FW1110.32Patch 1110_138 - Upgrade
Upgrade
IBM PowerVM Hypervisorto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in FW1120.02Patch 1120_171 - Upgrade
Upgrade
IBM PowerVM Hypervisorto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in FW1110.32Patch 1110_160 - Upgrade
Upgrade
IBM PowerVM Hypervisorto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in FW1120.02Patch 1120_195 - Upgrade
Upgrade
IBM PowerVM Hypervisorto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in FW950.H4Patch 950_236 - Upgrade
Upgrade
IBM PowerVM Hypervisorto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in FW1060.82Patch 1060_199 - Operational
Delete and recreate the partition configuration to restore normal operation after the condition occurs.
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
Which systems are affected?
Affected IBM PowerVM Hypervisor firmware ranges are FW1120.00 through FW1120.01, FW1110.00 through FW1110.31, FW1060.00 through FW1060.81, and FW950.00 through FW950.H3.
What level of access does an attacker need?
An attacker needs root access to a partition. The issue is locally exploitable and does not require user interaction.
What is the practical impact of exploitation?
An attacker can maliciously alter partition NVRAM so that the affected partition fails to boot. The stated impacts are integrity loss and availability loss.
What can be done if the partition has already been made unbootable?
Operator intervention is required. Delete and recreate the partition configuration to restore normal operation.