Description

IBM Power Firmware FW1120.00, FW1110.00 through FW1110.30, and FW1060.00 through FW1060.80 is affected by a vulnerability in the host firmware boot process image validation path. An attacker with service access to the service processor can supply a maliciously crafted code update image, allowing arbitrary code to be executed on the host system. Successful exploitation could result in a confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact to the affected host system.

Executive Summary

Technical Details

Mitigations

References

Additional Metadata

{
  "score": "8.2",
  "pubDate": "2026-08-19T18:16:36.200Z",
  "pubdate": "2026-08-19T18:16:36.200Z",
  "executiveSummary": "A host firmware boot process image validation vulnerability has been identified in IBM Power Firmware versions FW1120.00, FW1110.00 through FW1110.30, and FW1060.00 through FW1060.80. This security flaw resides within the host firmware boot process image validation path. Exploitation of this vulnerability allows an attacker who possesses service access to the service processor to supply a maliciously crafted code update image. Successful exploitation of this vulnerability enables the execution of arbitrary code on the affected host system, leading to a complete compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The risk implications are severe, as unauthorized execution at the host firmware layer undermines the foundational trust of the entire system architecture. Attack capabilities require prior service access to the service processor, meaning an adversary must first achieve a specific administrative or physical access threshold before initiating the malicious update sequence.",
  "technicalDetails": "The vulnerability exists within the host firmware boot process image validation path of IBM Power Firmware. The root cause stems from insufficient cryptographic verification or improper input sanitization during the processing of firmware update images supplied via the service processor interface. Specifically, the vulnerable component fails to properly validate the authenticity, integrity, or structure of incoming code update images before committing them to the execution pipeline during the boot process.\nThe attack flow begins when an adversary leverages pre-existing service access to the service processor. With this required privilege level, the attacker crafts a malicious code update image designed to bypass existing validation checks or exploit parsing logic flaws within the update routine. The attacker then uploads or injects this crafted update image through the standard service processor update mechanism. During the subsequent host firmware boot or update cycle, the vulnerable image validation path processes the compromised payload without enforcing strict security constraints or cryptographic checks.\nBecause the validation mechanism fails to reject the malformed or unauthorized code, the system accepts the image as a legitimate update. This results in the execution of arbitrary code within the host system context during the boot process. The post-exploitation impact includes total loss of host system confidentiality, integrity, and availability, as executing arbitrary code at the firmware layer grants the attacker persistent control, bypassing traditional operating system and hypervisor security controls."
}