CVE-2022-22445 : What You Need to Know

An attacker that gains service access to the FSP (POWER9 only) or gains admin authority to a partition can compromise partition firmware.

Understanding CVE-2022-22445

This vulnerability affects IBM's PowerVM Hypervisor and allows an attacker to compromise partition firmware by gaining access to the FSP or admin authority to a partition.

What is CVE-2022-22445?

CVE-2022-22445 is a security vulnerability in the IBM PowerVM Hypervisor that can be exploited by attackers to compromise partition firmware.

The Impact of CVE-2022-22445

The vulnerability has a CVSS base score of 7.6, indicating a high severity level. An attacker with high privileges can exploit this vulnerability to compromise the integrity of affected systems without requiring user interaction.

Technical Details of CVE-2022-22445

The vulnerability has a CVSS v3.0 base score of 7.6, with a high impact on integrity and a medium temporal severity score of 6.6. The attack complexity is low, and the attack vector is through a network.

Vulnerability Description

An attacker with high privileges can compromise partition firmware by gaining access to the FSP (POWER9 only) or admin authority to a partition running the affected versions of the PowerVM Hypervisor.

Affected Systems and Versions

The affected product is the PowerVM Hypervisor by IBM, specifically versions FW1010 and FW950.

Exploitation Mechanism

Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by gaining service access to the FSP (POWER9 only) or by acquiring admin authority to a partition running the impacted firmware.

Mitigation and Prevention

To mitigate the risks associated with CVE-2022-22445, it is essential to take immediate action and implement long-term security practices.

Immediate Steps to Take

Apply official fixes provided by IBM to address the vulnerability promptly.
Restrict access to critical system components to authorized personnel only.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update and patch all software and firmware components to prevent exploitation of known vulnerabilities.
Conduct security assessments and audits to identify and address potential security gaps.

Patching and Updates

Ensure that the PowerVM Hypervisor is updated with the latest security patches and firmware updates released by IBM to protect against potential exploitation of CVE-2022-22445.