CVE-2025-33077: Local Stack-Based Buffer Overflow Vulnerability in IBM Engineering Systems Design Rhapsody

Overview

The cybersecurity landscape is constantly evolving with new vulnerabilities emerging that pose significant threats to systems and data. One such vulnerability that has recently been identified is the CVE-2025-33077. This is related to IBM Engineering Systems Design Rhapsody versions 9.0.2, 10.0, and 10.0.1. More concerning, this vulnerability is capable of causing a stack-based buffer overflow, which could potentially lead to system compromise and data leakage. This vulnerability matters because if successfully exploited, an attacker could execute arbitrary code on the system, thereby gaining control and possibly leading to serious consequences.

Vulnerability Summary

CVE ID: CVE-2025-33077
Severity: High (8.8 CVSS Score)
Attack Vector: Local
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: Required
Impact: Potential system compromise or data leakage

Affected Products

Product | Affected Versions

IBM Engineering Systems Design Rhapsody | 9.0.2
IBM Engineering Systems Design Rhapsody | 10.0
IBM Engineering Systems Design Rhapsody | 10.0.1

How the Exploit Works

This vulnerability stems from improper bounds checking within the IBM Engineering Systems Design Rhapsody software. An attacker, exploiting this vulnerability, must have local access to the system. They would craft a malicious input designed to overflow the buffer, thereby causing the system to write data beyond the intended boundary. This overflow can then lead to the execution of arbitrary code, giving the attacker the ability to compromise the system or leak data.

Conceptual Example Code

The following is a conceptual example of how the exploit might look. It does not represent an actual working exploit, but rather demonstrates the fundamental logic an attacker might use.

#include <string.h>
int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
char buffer[256];
if (argc > 1)
strcpy(buffer, argv[1]);
return 0;
}

In this example, the attacker could pass a string longer than 256 characters as an argument when running the program, causing a buffer overflow. This could potentially allow an attacker to control the instruction pointer, leading to arbitrary code execution.

Recommended Mitigation

The best course of action to mitigate this vulnerability is to apply the vendor patch as soon as it becomes available. However, until then, it is recommended to use a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) to provide a temporary layer of protection. These systems can help detect and prevent any attempts to exploit this vulnerability.