Firmware bug allows hypervisor compromise on IBM Power Systems — high-impact, enterprise server class hardware used across organizations; could enable host takeover.
CVE-2026-96266
Authenticated FSP access can corrupt host firmware and compromise hypervisor on IBM Power Systems.
Is CVE-2026-96266 being exploited?
Not confirmed. CVE-2026-96266 does not appear in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, which records only exploitation that has been observed and reported publicly. That is evidence of absence of a report, not evidence the flaw is unattacked. EPSS currently estimates a 0.17% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How severe is CVE-2026-96266?
CVE-2026-96266 is rated High with a CVSS score of 8.2. Severity describes how bad exploitation would be, not how likely it is: pair it with exploitation evidence before deciding what to patch first.
Is there a patch for CVE-2026-96266?
Not known from our data. No patch reference has been recorded for CVE-2026-96266, which is not the same as no patch existing — a fix may have shipped without a tagged reference, or after this record was written. The vendor advisory is the only authority on whether a fix exists, and mitigations may be available regardless.
What does CVE-2026-96266 affect?
CVE-2026-96266 affects IBM Power Systems host firmware FW1060.00–FW1060.81, Flexible Service Processor (FSP) with service-level access, Hypervisor and hosted virtual machines on affected systems. Confirm the exact affected versions against the vendor advisory before deciding you are exposed.
What should I do about CVE-2026-96266?
Restrict/segregate FSP access, audit credentials, isolate management network, apply vendor firmware updates when available.
Exploitation status reflects CISA's KEV catalog as we last synced it. Check the catalog directly.
Authenticated attacker with FSP service access can cause boot-stage memory corruption to compromise host firmware and loaded hypervisor, enabling full host takeover (confidentiality, integrity, availability).
Immediate action required
- affected>= FW1060.00 and <= FW1060.81
As published in the CVE Program record. A version outside these ranges is not a statement that it is unaffected — vendors sometimes understate a range, and distribution-backported builds carry upstream numbers that do not reflect what was patched into them.