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IBM Power Systems Firmware is affected by a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability identified as CVE-2026-18848. The flaw resides in the Advanced System Management Interface (ASMI) web interface, which is used by administrators to manage the Flexible Service Processor (FSP) and the overall Power Systems server.
An attacker exploiting this vulnerability does not require any authentication. The attack vector is network-based, with low attack complexity. The attacker must socially engineer a logged-in ASMI administrator into visiting a specially crafted web page. This malicious page can be hosted on an attacker-controlled server or injected into a compromised website.
Once the authenticated administrator’s browser loads the malicious page, the page silently sends forged HTTP requests to the ASMI web interface. Because the administrator’s session is already active and authenticated, the ASMI interface processes these requests as legitimate administrative actions. The requests are executed on the FSP with the privileges of the logged-in administrator. The vulnerability allows the attacker to perform any administrative operation that the compromised administrator session is authorized to execute—including changing system configurations, altering partition settings, accessing sensitive console data, or even powering off managed partitions.
The attack occurs silently from the administrator’s perspective, as the forged requests are executed in the background without requiring further interaction. The exploitation hinges on the ASMI interface failing to implement adequate CSRF tokens or other anti-forgery mechanisms to validate the origin of incoming requests. The vulnerability affects a wide range of IBM Power Systems firmware versions, spanning multiple generations of Power servers. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 8.3 (High), with the vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:H/A:H.
DailyCVE Form:
Platform: IBM Power Systems Firmware
Version: FW1120.00, FW1110.00–FW1110.30, FW1060.00–FW1060.80, FW950.00–FW950.H2
Vulnerability: Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF)
Severity: High (CVSS 8.3)
Date: August 19, 2026
Prediction: Patch expected August 2026
What Undercode Say:
Analytics from threat intelligence sources indicate that this CSRF vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it targets the management plane of enterprise Power Systems servers. The FSP controls all hosted logical partitions (LPARs), meaning a successful compromise of an administrator’s session grants the attacker control over every virtual machine and workload running on the physical server. The low complexity and network attack vector make this vulnerability highly attractive for sophisticated threat actors targeting enterprise data centers.
Bash commands related to ASMI and session validation:
Check current firmware version on a Power System Via HMC (Hardware Management Console) lssyscfg -r sys -F name,fwversion Via direct FSP IPMI interface (if accessible) ipmitool -H <fsp_ip> -U <username> -P <password> mc info | grep "Firmware Revision" Check for active ASMI web sessions (requires FSP access) curl -k -u <admin_user>:<password> https://<fsp_ip>/asmiapi/sessions
Exploit: (Educational Purposes!)
A proof-of-concept CSRF exploit would involve crafting an HTML page containing a hidden form or an XMLHttpRequest that targets the ASMI API endpoints responsible for critical administrative functions. For example:
<!-- Malicious CSRF payload example - EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY -->
<html>
<body>
<form id="csrfForm" action="https://<fsp_ip>/asmiapi/system/poweroff" method="POST">
<input type="hidden" name="confirm" value="true" />
</form>
<script>
// Automatically submit the form when the page loads
document.getElementById('csrfForm').submit();
</script>
</body>
</html>
When a logged-in ASMI administrator visits this page, the browser automatically submits the form using the existing authenticated session, triggering a system power-off command without the administrator’s knowledge or consent.
Protection:
IBM has released firmware updates to remediate CVE-2026-18848. Customers should install the following fixed versions:
| Affected Version | Fixed Version |
|||
| FW1120.00 | FW1120.01 (1120_167) or newer |
| FW1110.00 – FW1110.30 | FW1110.31 (1110_134) or newer |
| FW1060.00 – FW1060.80 | FW1060.81 (1060_184) or newer |
| FW950.00 – FW950.H2 | FW950.H3 (950_230) or newer |
Firmware updates are available via IBM Fix Central. There are no known workarounds or mitigations for this vulnerability. Administrators are strongly advised to apply the firmware updates as soon as possible.
Impact:
Successful exploitation of this vulnerability allows an unauthenticated, remote attacker to perform any administrative action on the FSP on behalf of a logged-in administrator. The impact includes:
– Confidentiality: Low impact, as the attacker may gain access to sensitive system configuration and console data.
– Integrity: High impact, as the attacker can modify system configurations, partition settings, and firmware parameters.
– Availability: High impact, as the attacker can power off the system, terminate partitions, or disrupt managed workloads.
The attacker gains control over the entire managed system and all hosted partitions, potentially leading to complete compromise of enterprise workloads running on Power Systems servers.
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Sources:
Reported By: nvd.nist.gov
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