EUVD-2025-18657
CVSS Vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Lifecycle Timeline
3Description
IBM webMethods Integration Server 10.5, 10.7, 10.11, and 10.15 could allow a privileged user to escalate their privileges when handling external entities due to execution with unnecessary privileges.
Analysis
Privilege escalation vulnerability in IBM webMethods Integration Server affecting versions 10.5, 10.7, 10.11, and 10.15, where a privileged user can escalate their privileges when the system handles external entities due to unnecessary privilege execution. With a CVSS score of 7.2 and high impact across confidentiality, integrity, and availability, this vulnerability requires administrative credentials to exploit but provides complete system compromise potential. No public confirmation of active exploitation (KEV status) or proof-of-concept availability is evident, making this a moderate-to-high priority based on the barrier to entry (privileged user requirement) despite the severe impact if exploited.
Technical Context
This vulnerability stems from CWE-250 (Execution with Unnecessary Privileges), a class indicating that webMethods Integration Server performs operations with elevated privileges beyond what is required for legitimate functionality. When the system processes external entities (XML external entities, SOAP messages, or similar external data structures), the handling code executes with unnecessary administrative or service-level privileges. This design flaw allows a privileged user (already authenticated with some level of access) to leverage the entity processing mechanism to execute commands or access resources normally restricted to their permission level. The vulnerability likely exists in the integration server's message handling, XML/SOAP processing pipelines, or external service invocation mechanisms that are designed to run with system-level privileges for legitimate integration scenarios but lack proper privilege separation.
Affected Products
IBM webMethods Integration Server (CPE:2.3:a:ibm:webmethods_integration_server): Version 10.5, Version 10.7, Version 10.11, Version 10.15. All platforms and architectures running these versions are affected. No information on versions 9.x or earlier (likely unsupported) or versions 11.x+ (likely patched or to be patched separately). Vendor advisory expected from IBM Security Advisories (security.ibm.com).
Remediation
1. PATCH: Upgrade affected versions to patched releases (specific patch versions not provided in available intelligence; check IBM Security Bulletin for CVE-2025-36048 for exact version numbers). 2. WORKAROUND: Restrict user privileges to principle of least privilege—audit and reduce administrative/service-level account permissions; implement role-based access control (RBAC) to ensure only necessary privileged operations execute with elevated rights. 3. MITIGATION: (a) Implement network segmentation to limit connectivity to Integration Server from untrusted networks; (b) Enable comprehensive audit logging for privileged user actions and external entity processing; (c) Monitor for unusual privilege escalation attempts or suspicious external entity handling patterns; (d) Disable unnecessary external entity processing features (XXE, XXD protections) if not required. 4. VENDOR ADVISORY: Monitor IBM Security Bulletins and apply patches as released; check IBM webMethods documentation for entity processing hardening guidance.
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