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IBM PowerVM EUVDEUVD-2026-86007

| CVE-2026-19492 LOW
Use of Uninitialized Variable (CWE-457)
2026-09-24 ibm GHSA-q2mh-hq2m-m2mm
3.2
CVSS 3.1 · NVD
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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Obtain root in a guest partition
  2. Exploit
    Issue crafted hypervisor-call to affected interface
  3. Execution
    Hypervisor returns uninitialized memory
  4. Impact
    Harvest leaked hypervisor/other-guest data

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Variable initialization checks
Exploitation Conditions

Requires the attacker to already hold ROOT within a guest partition (PR:H) on an IBM Power system running an affected PowerVM firmware level (FW1120.00-1120.01, FW1110.00-1110.31, or FW1060.00-1060.81); exploitation is via a local hypervisor call interface (AV:L), so there is no remote or unauthenticated path. Impact is limited to reading a small amount of uninitialized hypervisor memory with no attacker control over the returned contents, and the practical risk concentrates in multi-tenant deployments where untrusted parties run arbitrary guest OS images on shared hardware; single-tenant systems face little exposure.

Impact

This is a genuinely low-priority issue despite living in critical hypervisor firmware. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 3.2 (LOW) with vector AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:N/A:N - exploitation requires ROOT (PR:H) inside a guest partition and yields only a limited, uncontrolled read of hypervisor memory (C:L, no integrity or availability impact). The CWE-457 (use of uninitialized variable) root cause is consistent with the description: the hypercall returns whatever residual bytes happen to be present, and the attacker cannot steer which memory is disclosed, which sharply reduces exploit value. No EPSS score, no CISA KEV listing, and no public exploit code are provided in the input, so there are no signals of active or imminent exploitation. The one real amplifier is the scope change (S:C) and the multi-tenant angle: a guest-root attacker can potentially glimpse data belonging to the hypervisor or co-resident guest partitions, so in cloud/shared-hosting environments running arbitrary tenant OS images this warrants patching, but it is not a remote or unauthenticated exposure. No signals conflict; all data points consistently indicate low real-world urgency.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

In a multi-tenant IBM Power environment, an attacker who has already obtained root on one guest partition (e.g. a malicious tenant on their own leased LPAR) issues a crafted call to the affected hypervisor call interface. The hypercall returns a small quantity of uninitialized hypervisor memory that may contain fragments of hypervisor state or another guest's data, which the attacker harvests opportunistically over many calls. No public exploit code is identified; the read is limited and the attacker cannot control which contents are returned.

Monitor Track and reassess. Why: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9).
Patch available 0.1% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Sep 24, 2026

Hypervisor memory disclosure in IBM PowerVM firmware (FW1120.00 through FW1120.01, FW1110.00 through FW1110.31, and FW1060.00 through FW1060.81) allows an attacker who already holds root inside a guest partition to read a limited, non-attacker-controlled portion of uninitialized hypervisor memory through a hypervisor call interface, potentially exposing sensitive data belonging to the hypervisor or to co-resident guest partitions. According to the assessed CVSS vector (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:N/A:N), exploitation requires local access and high privileges (root in a guest) and yields only a confidentiality impact of low severity, with no integrity or availability effect and no attacker control over which memory contents are returned. There is no public exploit code identified and no confirmed active exploitation (not listed in CISA KEV); the practical risk is concentrated in multi-tenant environments where untrusted parties run arbitrary guest OS images on shared Power hardware, while single-tenant systems face little exposure.

RemediationAI

Vendor-released patch: IBM has published a firmware fix for this issue; the exact fixed firmware level is not enumerated in the provided data, so consult the IBM support page at https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7289137 to identify and apply the correct PowerVM firmware level for FW1120.00-FW1120.01, FW1110.00-FW1110.31, and FW1060.00-FW1060.81 systems, including any required Power managed-system updates and coordinated reboots. Until the fix is applied, compensating controls focus on the prerequisite: tightly restrict who can obtain root inside guest partitions, since PR:H means only a root-level guest attacker can trigger the hypervisor call, and avoid running untrusted or tenant-controlled guest OS images on shared Power hardware, which reduces multi-tenant exposure at the cost of flexibility in hosted or cloud-style deployments. Because the leak is small and non-steerable, and no public exploit exists, these access-control measures are reasonable interim mitigations while scheduling the firmware update; they do not eliminate the flaw and should be paired with the vendor patch as the primary fix.

Affected VersionsENISA

PowerVM Hypervisor FW1060.00 ≤FW1060.81
PowerVM Hypervisor FW1120.00 ≤FW1120.01
PowerVM Hypervisor FW1110.00 ≤FW1110.31

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Technical ContextAI · show details

The flaw resides in a PowerVM hypervisor call interface, the paravirtualized entry point by which a guest partition requests services from the hypervisor. Classified as CWE-457 (Use of Uninitialized Variable), the interface returns data from hypervisor memory that was not properly initialized before being handed back to the calling guest, resulting in a bounded information leak. The CVSS scope change (S:C) reflects that the vulnerable component (hypervisor) and impacted component (guest or hypervisor data) differ, but the leak is constrained in size and the attacker has no ability to steer which bytes are disclosed. The CPE entry cpe:2.3:a:ibm:powervm_hypervisor:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* identifies the affected platform generically, with the specific affected firmware levels enumerated as FW1120.00-FW1120.01, FW1110.00-FW1110.31, and FW1060.00-FW1060.81. The local attack vector (AV:L) and high privilege requirement (PR:H) mean there is no remote or unauthenticated path; the attacker must already have root within a guest partition, making this primarily a multi-tenant isolation concern rather than a perimeter-exploitable defect.

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Severity by source

Vendor (ibm) PRIMARY LOW
NVD 3.2 LOW
AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:N/A:N
vuln.today AI 3.2 LOW

Guest-local hypercall (AV:L) needs guest root (PR:H); crossing into hypervisor/other-guest memory is a scope change (S:C) with only a small uncontrolled read (C:L), no I/A impact.

3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:N/A:N
4.0 AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:H/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:N/SC:L/SI:N/SA:N

Primary rating from Vendor (ibm).

CVSS VectorNVD

Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
High
User Interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
None
Availability
None

DescriptionNVD

IBM PowerVM Hypervisor FW1120.00 through FW1120.01, FW1110.00 through FW1110.31, and FW1060.00 through FW1060.81 is affected by a vulnerability in a hypervisor call interface. An attacker with root access to a guest partition can read a limited amount of hypervisor memory, potentially exposing sensitive data belonging to the hypervisor or other guest partitions hosted on the same system, resulting in a confidentiality impact. The attacker has no control over which memory contents are returned. This vulnerability is of particular concern in multi-tenant environments where guests may run arbitrary OS images.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.1%
Top 99% exploitable
Prevalence
Low
enterprise IBM Power Systems virtualization firmware, niche footprint
Data Quality
5 sources
Confidence: Medium

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity LOW
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.1%
Patch available Yes
Active threat No
Deciding rule
LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived
Defer
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Small
Automatable
No
Human Impact· derived
Low
Technical Impact
Partial

Priority Score

16
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +16
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Information disclosure occurs when an application unintentionally exposes sensitive data that aids attackers in reconnaissance or directly compromises security.

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