CVE-2022-22309
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedThe POWER systems FSP is vulnerable to unauthenticated logins through the serial port/TTY interface. This vulnerability can be more critical if the serial port is connected to a serial-over-lan device. IBM X-Force ID: 217095.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · moderate confidenceIBM POWER systems Flexible Service Processor (FSP) contains an unauthenticated login vulnerability in the serial port/TTY interface. An attacker with physical or network access to the serial interface (especially when exposed via serial-over-LAN) could gain unauthorized access to the service processor without authentication, potentially obtaining full control of the system management functions.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data>= 860, < 860.b0>= 940, < 940.60>= 950, < 950.40CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Physical
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify the POWER system modelDetermine if the system is an IBM Power System S922. This vulnerability specifically affects S922 systems - other POWER system models have different firmware versioning and may not be affected.Affected if The system is an IBM Power System S922.
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Check FSP firmware versionAccess the service processor via the ASMI (Advanced System Management Interface) or use the HMC (Hardware Management Console) command 'lsrefcode' or 'lssyscfg' to retrieve the current FSP firmware level. Compare the installed version against the affected ranges: 860.b0 (exclusive) and above but below 860.b0, versions 940.60 (exclusive) and above but below 940.60, and versions 950.40 (exclusive) and above but below 950.40.Affected if The firmware version falls within any of these ranges: >= 860 and < 860.b0, >= 940 and < 940.60, or >= 950 and < 950.40.
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Determine if serial-over-LAN is enabledCheck the FSP or ASMI configuration for serial-over-LAN (SOL) settings. In ASMI, navigate to Service Indicators > Serial Port/SOL Configuration > Serial Port Over LAN. Alternatively, use the HMC command 'lssyscfg' or 'chsyscfg' to query the SOL status.Affected if Serial-over-LAN (SOL) is enabled and accessible over the network.
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Assess network exposure of management interfacesReview network access controls and firewall rules surrounding the FSP/ASMI management interface and any IPMI or serial-over-LAN endpoints. Check if the management interface is exposed to untrusted networks or the internet.Affected if The serial port, SOL, or ASMI interface is accessible from untrusted network segments.
A system is affected if it is an IBM Power System S922 with firmware version within the specified ranges AND has serial-over-LAN enabled or exposed network access to the serial interface.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
dbcve · scoped860.b0940.60950.40
Disable serial-over-LAN (SOL) if not required, implement network access controls to restrict exposure of management interfaces, and apply IBM firmware patches for the POWER system when available. Physical access controls to serial ports should also be enforced.
Firmware 860.b0 or later (860 branch); 940.60 or later (940 branch); 950.40 or later (950 branch)
- Check current FSP firmware version using the ASMI (Advanced System Management Interface) or via the FSP command line with 'firmware_level' or 'lsfsp' command
- Schedule a maintenance window for the firmware update
- Download the appropriate firmware update from IBM Fix Central (search for Power System S922 or request from IBM support)
- Apply firmware update via FSP using the 'update_firmware' command or through the ASMI interface under 'Firmware Updates'
- Verify the firmware version after update matches one of the fixed releases: 860.b0 or later, 940.60 or later, or 950.40 or later
- Confirm the serial port/TTY authentication is now properly enforced
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation16.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-22309 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2022-22309 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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