IBM watsonx.data CVE-2025-36145

Exploitation requires an authenticated session with at least low-privilege access to the IBM watsonx.data platform (confirmed by CVSS PR:L). The target system must be running IBM watsonx.data version 2.2.0 through 2.3.1 with the IBM Lakehouse component active and network-accessible (AV:N). No user interaction is required beyond the attacker's own authenticated session (UI:N), and attack complexity is low (AC:L), meaning no race condition or special timing is needed. Limiting factors include the mandatory authentication requirement - unauthenticated exploitation is not indicated - and the need for direct network access to the watsonx.data endpoint. Exploitation is not assessed as automatable by SSVC, suggesting it is not trivially scriptable at scale without per-target credential acquisition. Non-default or specialized configurations are not indicated as prerequisites; any deployment of the affected version range with the Lakehouse feature in use is potentially within scope.

Despite a network-reachable attack vector and low complexity per the CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N), real-world risk is moderated by several converging signals. EPSS probability is extremely low at 0.02% (7th percentile), indicating minimal observed exploitation interest across the threat landscape. SSVC rates exploitation as none, automatable as no, and technical impact as partial - consistent with a vulnerability requiring an authenticated foothold and yielding limited, targeted impact rather than catastrophic data exposure. The vulnerability is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog and no public exploit code has been identified. The primary risk scenario is an authenticated internal user or compromised low-privilege account abusing unrestricted connection paths to exfiltrate data or tamper with files in adjacent storage systems within the lakehouse environment. CVSS confidentiality and integrity impacts are both rated Low, and availability is unaffected, capping the blast radius. Overall, this is a genuine but lower-priority finding - elevated in environments where watsonx.data handles sensitive regulated data or where lateral movement between internal systems is a concern.

An authenticated attacker with low-privilege access to an IBM watsonx.data 2.2-2.3.1 instance - such as an internal analyst account or a compromised service account - exploits the unrestricted connection channels to initiate unauthorized file transfers to or from internal storage targets. Leveraging the lack of proper connection restrictions, the attacker reads sensitive datasets outside their authorized scope or overwrites data in adjacent storage partitions, potentially impacting data integrity across downstream analytics pipelines. No public proof-of-concept exploit code has been identified at time of analysis.