7.3
HIGH CVSS 3.1
CVE-2026-17042
Power System Out-of-bounds Read
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.

INFO

Published Date :

Aug. 19, 2026, 8:17 p.m.

Last Modified :

Aug. 25, 2026, 1:14 p.m.

Remotely Exploit :

No
Affected Products

The following products are affected by CVE-2026-17042 vulnerability. Even if cvefeed.io is aware of the exact versions of the products that are affected, the information is not represented in the table below.

ID Vendor Product Action
1 Ibm power_system_ac922_\(8335-gth\)_firmware
2 Ibm power_system_ac922_\(8335-gtx\)_firmware
3 Ibm power_hardware_management_console_\(7063-cr2\)_firmware
4 Ibm power_system_ac922_\(8335-gth\)
5 Ibm power_system_ac922_\(8335-gtx\)
6 Ibm power_hardware_management_console_\(7063-cr2\)
7 Ibm power_system_s922_\(9009-22g\)_firmware
8 Ibm power_system_s922_\(9009-22g\)
9 Ibm power_system_h922_\(9223-22s\)_firmware
10 Ibm power_system_h922_\(9223-22s\)
11 Ibm power_system_s914_\(9009-41g\)_firmware
12 Ibm power_system_s914_\(9009-41g\)
13 Ibm power_system_s924_\(9009-42g\)_firmware
14 Ibm power_system_s924_\(9009-42g\)
15 Ibm power_system_h924_\(9223-42s\)_firmware
16 Ibm power_system_h924_\(9223-42s\)
17 Ibm power_system_e950_\(9040-mr9\)_firmware
18 Ibm power_system_e950_\(9040-mr9\)
19 Ibm power_system_e980_\(9080-m9s\)_firmware
20 Ibm power_system_e980_\(9080-m9s\)
21 Ibm power_systems_firmware
CVSS Scores
The Common Vulnerability Scoring System is a standardized framework for assessing the severity of vulnerabilities in software and systems. We collect and displays CVSS scores from various sources for each CVE.
Score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Score Impact Score Source
CVSS 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0
CVSS 3.1 HIGH 9a959283-ebb5-44b6-b705-dcc2bbced522
CVSS 3.1 HIGH [email protected]
CVSS 3.1 HIGH MITRE-CVE
Solution
Update IBM Power Systems firmware to resolve NVRAM parsing vulnerability and prevent boot crashes.
  • Update firmware on affected IBM Power Systems.
  • Clear NVRAM via service processor if affected.
  • Apply vendor patches for host firmware.
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools

Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to CVE-2026-17042.

URL Resource
https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7283240 Vendor Advisory
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration

While CVE identifies specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-17042 is associated with the following CWEs:

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC) stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2026-17042 weaknesses.

We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).

Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.

The following list is the news that have been mention CVE-2026-17042 vulnerability anywhere in the article.

The following table lists the changes that have been made to the CVE-2026-17042 vulnerability over time.

Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.

  • Initial Analysis by [email protected]

    Aug. 25, 2026

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added CPE Configuration AND OR *cpe:2.3:o:ibm:power_system_s922_(9009-22g)_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) fw950.00 up to (excluding) fw950.h3 OR cpe:2.3:h:ibm:power_system_s922_(9009-22g):-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    Added CPE Configuration AND OR *cpe:2.3:o:ibm:power_system_h922_(9223-22s)_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) fw950.00 up to (excluding) fw950.h3 OR cpe:2.3:h:ibm:power_system_h922_(9223-22s):-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    Added CPE Configuration AND OR *cpe:2.3:o:ibm:power_system_s914_(9009-41g)_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) fw950.00 up to (excluding) fw950.h3 OR cpe:2.3:h:ibm:power_system_s914_(9009-41g):-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    Added CPE Configuration AND OR *cpe:2.3:o:ibm:power_system_s924_(9009-42g)_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) fw950.00 up to (excluding) fw950.h3 OR cpe:2.3:h:ibm:power_system_s924_(9009-42g):-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    Added CPE Configuration AND OR *cpe:2.3:o:ibm:power_system_h924_(9223-42s)_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) fw950.00 up to (excluding) fw950.h3 OR cpe:2.3:h:ibm:power_system_h924_(9223-42s):-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    Added CPE Configuration AND OR *cpe:2.3:o:ibm:power_system_e950_(9040-mr9)_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) fw950.00 up to (excluding) fw950.h3 OR cpe:2.3:h:ibm:power_system_e950_(9040-mr9):-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    Added CPE Configuration AND OR *cpe:2.3:o:ibm:power_system_e980_(9080-m9s)_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) fw950.00 up to (excluding) fw950.h3 OR cpe:2.3:h:ibm:power_system_e980_(9080-m9s):-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    Added CPE Configuration AND OR *cpe:2.3:o:ibm:power_system_ac922_(8335-gth)_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) op940 up to (excluding) op940.a2 OR cpe:2.3:h:ibm:power_system_ac922_(8335-gth):-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    Added CPE Configuration AND OR *cpe:2.3:o:ibm:power_system_ac922_(8335-gtx)_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) op940 up to (excluding) op940.a2 OR cpe:2.3:h:ibm:power_system_ac922_(8335-gtx):-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    Added CPE Configuration AND OR *cpe:2.3:o:ibm:power_hardware_management_console_(7063-cr2)_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) op940 up to (excluding) op940.82 OR cpe:2.3:h:ibm:power_hardware_management_console_(7063-cr2):-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    Added Reference Type IBM Corporation: https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7283240 Types: Vendor Advisory
  • New CVE Received by [email protected]

    Aug. 19, 2026

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added Affected [{'cpes': ['cpe:2.3:o:ibm:power_systems_firmware:fw950.00:*:*:*:*:*:*:*', 'cpe:2.3:o:ibm:power_systems_firmware:fw950.h2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*', 'cpe:2.3:o:ibm:power_systems_firmware:op940.00:*:*:*:*:*:*:*', 'cpe:2.3:o:ibm:power_systems_firmware:op940.a1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*'], 'vendor': 'IBM', 'product': 'Power Systems Firmware', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': 'FW950.00', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': 'FW950.H2'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': 'OP940.00', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': 'OP940.a1'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': 'OP940.00', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': 'OP940.81'}]}]
    Added 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.
    Added CVSS V3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:L/A:H
    Added CWE CWE-125
    Added Reference https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7283240
  • CVE Modified by 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0

    Aug. 19, 2026

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added SSVC {'id': 'CVE-2026-17042', 'role': 'CISA Coordinator', 'options': [{'exploitation': 'none'}, {'automatable': 'no'}, {'technicalImpact': 'partial'}], 'version': '2.0.3', 'timestamp': '2026-08-19T19:24:22.753664Z'}
EPSS is a daily estimate of the probability of exploitation activity being observed over the next 30 days. Following chart shows the EPSS score history of the vulnerability.