Overview
The vulnerability in question, CVE-2025-36193, is a significant security flaw affecting IBM Transformation Advisor versions 2.0.1 through 4.3.1. This vulnerability can lead to an exploit where an attacker can escalate privileges to root level inside a container running the IBM Transformation Advisor Operator Catalog image. This vulnerability is of significant concern for organizations using the affected versions of IBM Transformation Advisor as it could potentially allow a malicious actor to compromise the system or leak sensitive data.
The importance of addressing this vulnerability can’t be overstated, given its CVSS severity score of 8.4, which indicates a high level of risk. This blog post serves to detail the vulnerability, how it can be exploited, and what mitigation steps can be taken.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-36193
Severity: High (8.4)
Attack Vector: Local
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Impact: Potential system compromise or data leakage
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
IBM Transformation Advisor | 2.0.1 through 4.3.1
How the Exploit Works
The root of the vulnerability lies in how IBM Transformation Advisor assigns privileges to security-critical files. In the affected versions, the program incorrectly assigns these privileges, enabling an attacker with access to the local system to escalate their privileges to root level inside a container running the IBM Transformation Advisor Operator Catalog image.
This escalation of privileges can provide the attacker with unfettered access to sensitive system files and data, thereby paving the way for a system compromise or data leakage.
Conceptual Example Code
The following pseudocode represents a conceptual example of how the vulnerability might be exploited:
# Gain low level access to the container
docker exec -it container_id /bin/sh
# Exploit the vulnerability to escalate privileges to root
exploit_privileges("IBM Transformation Advisor Operator Catalog image")
# Perform malicious operations as root
access_critical_files()Please note that this is a conceptual example and not an actual exploit code. It is intended to illustrate the nature of the vulnerability, not to provide a guide for malicious activity.
Mitigation Guidance
The best course of action to mitigate this vulnerability is to apply the vendor patch. IBM has released an updated version that corrects the privilege assignment, thereby effectively closing the vulnerability.
In the absence of a prompt vendor patch application, a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can be used as temporary mitigation. These systems can help detect and block exploit attempts, providing an additional layer of security while permanent fixes are being implemented.
