This vulnerability is an out‑of‑bounds read flaw in the firmware that controls the network boot process of an IBM PowerVM Hypervisor partition. When a partition performs an iSCSI SAN network boot, an attacker can send specially crafted packets that cause the firmware to perform an illegal read, abruptly aborting the boot sequence of that partition. The effect is a denial of service to the affected partition; other partitions on the same system continue to operate normally.

The flaw impacts IBM Power System firmware releases within the following ranges: FW1060.00 through FW1060.80, FW1110.00 through FW1110.30, FW1120.00, and FW950.00 through FW950.H2. Any PowerVenture or Power System PXI model that uses these firmware versions during a network boot is affected, including the listed machines such as the Power 11 series (e.g., S1122, S1124, S1114, L1122, E1150), Power 10 series (e.g., E1080, S1022, L1024, E1050), and Power 9 series (e.g., S922, H922, S914, E950, E980). Partitions that are not undergoing an iSCSI network boot or that run newer firmware versions are not affected.

The CVSS score of 6.5 indicates moderate severity; the availability impact is limited to the booting partition and does not affect the host or other hosts. EPSS is not available, and the vulnerability is not listed in CISA's KEV catalog. An attacker only needs unauthenticated access to the same network segment that the booting partition uses, implying a local or compromised network scenario is sufficient. Because the flaw is exploitable during normal network boot traffic, the likelihood of exploitation remains uncertain, but with the lack of a patch it should be treated as a credible threat to any affected system.