IBM Fusion
CVE-2025-36222
CRITICAL
Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
-
AccessReach exposed AMQStreams listener on network
-
DeliveryConnect with Kafka client, no authentication
-
ExploitEnumerate topics and consumer groups
-
ExecutionRead or tamper with message data
-
ImpactDisrupt Fusion data services
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A06:2021 - Vulnerable and Outdated Components
ASVS 5.0
V13 - Configuration Secure default settings
|
| Exploitation Conditions | Exploitation requires an affected IBM Fusion/Fusion HCI deployment running with the vulnerable insecure default configuration that exposes the AMQStreams (Apache Kafka) broker with client authentication disabled, and the attacker must have network reachability to that AMQStreams listener. No credentials or user interaction are needed (PR:N/UI:N). The principal LIMITING factor is network exposure: AMQStreams in Fusion is normally an in-cluster OpenShift component, so realistic risk depends on whether the broker is reachable beyond the cluster boundary; deployments that have overridden the default to require Kafka client authentication, or that restrict the listener to internal cluster traffic, are not practically exploitable. |
| Impact | The raw CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.8 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) paints a worst-case picture: a network-reachable, unauthenticated, low-complexity flaw with full confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact, consistent with CWE-1188 (insecure default initialization) exposing an AMQStreams (Kafka) broker without client authentication. However, the exploitation-likelihood signals pull strongly in the opposite direction: EPSS is only 0.03% (10th percentile), there is no CISA KEV listing, and no public exploit code was identified in the provided data, so the status is 'no public exploit identified at time of analysis.' The signals therefore conflict in the usual way for a high-severity-but-unexploited vulnerability: severity is genuinely high if the broker is reachable, but real-world risk is bounded by deployment context. A critical caveat the CVSS vector obscures is reachability - AMQStreams in IBM Fusion/Fusion HCI is typically an in-cluster OpenShift component, so AV:N is only meaningful to an attacker who already has network access to that cluster segment; if the broker is not exposed beyond the cluster, practical exploitability is far lower than 9.8 suggests. Verify actual network exposure of the AMQStreams listener with IBM/your deployment topology before treating this as internet-facing. Net assessment: patch promptly as a configuration-hardening priority, but this is targeted/context-dependent rather than a mass-exploitation threat given the low EPSS and absence of KEV/POC. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker with network access to the segment hosting an affected IBM Fusion deployment discovers an AMQStreams (Kafka) listener that, due to the insecure default configuration, accepts connections without client authentication. The attacker connects directly to the broker and issues unauthorized operations - reading sensitive topic data, producing or tampering with messages, or disrupting the messaging service that Fusion relies on. No public exploit code is required beyond a standard Kafka client, though no POC was identified in the provided data. |
Get an e-mail when this CVE is exploited, patched or re-scored. Free account.
Alert meAnalysisAIv2 – Oct 18, 2026
IBM Fusion (2.2.0 through 2.10.1), IBM Fusion HCI (2.2.0 through 2.10.0), and IBM Fusion HCI for watsonx (2.8.2 through 2.10.0) ship an insecure default configuration that can leave the bundled AMQStreams (Apache Kafka) broker exposed without client authentication, allowing any party with network reachability to publish, consume, or administer topics and cluster metadata without credentials - a full confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact reflected in the 9.8 base score (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H, CWE-1188). No public exploit code or confirmed active exploitation was identified at time of analysis, and EPSS is only 0.03% (10th percentile), so near-term exploitation likelihood is assessed as low. The practical limiting factor is exposure: AMQStreams is normally an in-cluster OpenShift component, so deployments that already require Kafka client authentication or restrict the listener to internal cluster traffic are not realistically exploitable.
Earlier versions of this analysis (1)
IBM Fusion 2.2.0 through 2.10.1, IBM Fusion HCI 2.2.0 through 2.10.0, and IBM Fusion HCI for watsonx 2.8.2 through 2.10.0 uses insecure default configurations that could expose AMQStreams without. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.7), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. No vendor patch available.
RemediationAI
No vendor-released patch version is confirmed in the available data; the sole reference is IBM's advisory at https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7244646, which should be consulted for the fixed Fusion, Fusion HCI, and Fusion HCI for watsonx builds and applied as soon as an upgrade path is published. In the interim, the effective fix is configuration rather than code: reconfigure the AMQStreams/Kafka listener to require client authentication (SASL or mutual TLS) so that PR:N no longer holds - expect client applications and internal Fusion services to need updated credentials or truststores, so stage the change and validate service-to-service connectivity first. In parallel, shrink the exposure surface: apply OpenShift NetworkPolicy (or equivalent segmentation/firewall rules) so only the Fusion namespaces and expected consumers can reach the Kafka bootstrap and broker ports, and remove any NodePort, LoadBalancer, or ingress route that publishes the listener outside the cluster - the trade-off is that legitimate external producers/consumers must be re-homed inside the cluster or placed behind an authenticated proxy. If neither change can be made immediately, restrict cluster and broker network reachability to trusted administrative networks and monitor broker logs for unauthenticated client connections as a detection stopgap, accepting that this is monitoring, not mitigation.
Affects your stack
Find out whether the stacks and servers you run are on an affected version.
Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.
Technical ContextAI · show details
The flaw is a textbook CWE-1188 (insecure default initialization of resource) in IBM's Fusion storage platform, which bundles Red Hat AMQStreams - the Strimzi-based Apache Kafka distribution for OpenShift - as an internal messaging backbone. Kafka listeners are configured with an authentication type, and when that is left at the permissive default for Fusion's managed deployment, the listener accepts plain, unauthenticated client connections on the Kafka bootstrap port. Because authentication is the only gate on Kafka's protocol (authorization is enforced per-principal only after authentication), an unauthenticated client inherits the broker's default permissions: it can enumerate and create/delete topics, produce and consume any message stream, and read cluster metadata, which is both a direct data disclosure risk and a vector for injecting or corrupting records used by downstream Fusion services. The CPE strings map the issue to ibm:storage_fusion, ibm:storage_fusion_hci, and ibm:storage_fusion_hci_for_watsonx, confirming three separately versioned distribution channels sharing the same underlying OpenShift/Kafka stack. The CVSS vector is unauthenticated and network-only (PR:N/UI:N), but the assessed precondition is configuration- and topology-dependent: the vulnerable default must still be in effect and the AMQStreams listener must be reachable from the attacker's network position rather than confined to cluster-internal service traffic.
Know when Storage Fusion gets its next vulnerability
- Watch products and get an email when something new is published
- Check this CVE against your own stack and servers
- Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources
No credit card · 7-day full trial
Severity by source
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Insecure default exposes the Kafka broker with no client authentication, so PR:N/AC:L/AV:N; unauthorized read, message tampering, and service disruption justify C:H/I:H/A:H with unchanged scope.
Primary rating from NVD.
CVSS VectorNVD
Lifecycle Timeline
4DescriptionNVD
IBM Fusion 2.2.0 through 2.10.1, IBM Fusion HCI 2.2.0 through 2.10.0, and IBM Fusion HCI for watsonx 2.8.2 through 2.10.0 uses insecure default configurations that could expose AMQStreams without client authentication that could allow an attacker to perform unauthorized actions.
Executive ViewAI
IBM Fusion, IBM Fusion HCI, and IBM Fusion HCI for watsonx deployments in the affected version ranges may expose the bundled AMQStreams/Kafka broker without client authentication due to an insecure default configuration, putting topic data and cluster administration at risk wherever the listener is network-reachable. Leadership should prioritize discovery and exposure reduction because an unauthenticated attacker with reachability could impact confidentiality, integrity, and availability; however, no public exploit was identified at time of analysis and near-term likelihood is limited by network exposure.
No vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis; enforce Kafka client authentication (mTLS or SASL), disable anonymous listeners, restrict AMQStreams network reachability to trusted in-cluster clients via OpenShift NetworkPolicy or firewall rules, and monitor broker access logs for unauthorized publish, consume, or administration.
Threat Intelligence Overview
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
How this decision was reached
The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
Authentication bypass attacks exploit flaws in the verification mechanisms that control access to systems and applications.
GitHub PoC
Exploit-DB