CyberSecBulletin
CVE-2026-16828NVD status: Analyzed

Power Systems Firmware: Out-of-bounds Read

CVE-2026-16828 is a high-severity out-of-bounds read vulnerability in Power Systems Firmware from IBM, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.6 out of 10. It can be exploited from the same local network by an unauthenticated attacker, without any action from a user. Affected Power Systems Firmware versions: FW1120.00; FW1110.00 through FW1110.30; FW1060.00 through FW1060.80, and others listed below. The record does not name a fixed version, so check the vendor advisory. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.28% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.

Next patch cycle

High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.

What to do

  1. Update Power System E1080 (9080-hex) Firmware to fw1060.81 or a later version.
  2. Update Power System E1180 (9080-heu) Firmware to fw1110.31 or a later version.
  3. Update Power System S922 (9009-22g) Firmware to fw950.h3 or a later version.
  4. Read the advisory on ibm.com for workarounds and exact fixed builds.

Affected products and versions

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed in
IBMPower Systems FirmwareFW1120.00; FW1110.00 through FW1110.30; FW1060.00 through FW1060.80; FW950.00 through FW950.H2Not stated
IBMPower System E1080 (9080-hex) Firmwarefw1060.00 up to, but not including, fw1060.81fw1060.81
IBMPower System E1180 (9080-heu) Firmwarefw1110.00 up to, but not including, fw1110.31; fw1120.00fw1110.31
IBMPower System S922 (9009-22g) Firmwarefw950.00 up to, but not including, fw950.h3fw950.h3
IBMPower System H922 (9223-22s) Firmwarefw950.00 up to, but not including, fw950.h3fw950.h3
IBMPower System S914 (9009-41g) Firmwarefw950.00 up to, but not including, fw950.h3fw950.h3
IBMPower System S924 (9009-42g) Firmwarefw950.00 up to, but not including, fw950.h3fw950.h3
IBMPower System H924 (9223-42s) Firmwarefw950.00 up to, but not including, fw950.h3fw950.h3
IBMPower System E950 (9040-mr9) Firmwarefw950.00 up to, but not including, fw950.h3fw950.h3
IBMPower System E980 (9080-m9s) Firmwarefw950.00 up to, but not including, fw950.h3fw950.h3

Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.

How the severity score breaks down

Attack vector
AdjacentThe attacker must be on the same local network segment.
Attack complexity
LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
Privileges required
NoneNo account or login is needed.
User interaction
NoneNo action by a victim is required.
Scope
UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
Confidentiality
LowSome restricted data can be read.
Integrity
LowLimited modification of data is possible.
Availability
HighThe component can be taken down completely.

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:H. Scored by CNA (us.ibm.com).

Official description

IBM Power Systems Firmware 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 ASMI web interface. An unauthenticated attacker on the management network can cause the ASMI web server to crash with possible memory corruption and generate an error log; hosted partitions are not affected. The ASMI web interface will restart automatically; however, repeated exploitation could result in a sustained loss of access to the ASMI management interface, resulting in an integrity and availability impact.

Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.

The underlying weakness: Out-of-bounds Read

The product reads data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer.

How developers prevent this class of flaw

  • Use a language that provides appropriate memory abstractions.

More Out-of-bounds Read vulnerabilities (CWE-125)

Timeline

  1. CVE record published.
  2. CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: partial).
  3. Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).

References

Other vulnerabilities in Power Systems Firmware

All Power Systems Firmware vulnerabilities

Recent Out-of-bounds Read vulnerabilities

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