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IBM watsonx.data EUVDEUVD-2025-209935

| CVE-2025-36145 MEDIUM
Improper Restriction of Communication Channel to Intended Endpoints (CWE-923)
2026-05-26 ibm GHSA-m5w6-r57x-w289
5.3
CVSS 3.1 · NVD
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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Obtain low-privilege watsonx.data credentials
  2. Delivery
    Authenticate to network-accessible Lakehouse instance
  3. Exploit
    Leverage unrestricted inbound/outbound connection channels
  4. Execution
    Transfer files beyond authorized scope
  5. Impact
    Exfiltrate or tamper with sensitive data

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
ASVS 5.0
V12 - Secure Communication Improper restriction of communication channel
Exploitation Conditions

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.

Impact

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.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

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.

This Month Plan within 30 days. Why: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9).
Patch available 0.0% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Jun 08, 2026

IBM watsonx.data (IBM Lakehouse) versions 2.2 through 2.3.1 fails to properly restrict inbound and outbound network connections, enabling authenticated low-privilege attackers to transfer or modify files without appropriate authorization controls. The vulnerability carries a CVSS score of 5.4 with network reachability and low attack complexity, though EPSS probability sits at just 0.02% (7th percentile) and SSVC assessment confirms no active exploitation. No public exploit code has been identified at time of analysis, and a vendor-released patch is available via IBM's support portal.

RemediationAI

Apply the vendor-released patch available via IBM's support portal at https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7272498 - this is the primary and recommended remediation. The exact patched version is not independently confirmed from available references beyond 'available from vendor,' so verify the specific target version against the advisory before deploying. As a compensating control prior to patching, restrict network-level access to watsonx.data management and data-plane interfaces using perimeter controls (firewall rules, security groups) to limit which hosts and accounts can initiate inbound and outbound connections to the lakehouse environment. Additionally, audit and enforce least-privilege principles on all watsonx.data accounts to minimize the set of authenticated users who could exploit unrestricted connection channels. Note that network-level restrictions may affect legitimate ETL and data pipeline operations and should be tested in a non-production environment before rollout.

Affected VersionsENISA

watsonx.data 2.2.0 ≤2.3.1

Affected Packages

euvd watsonx_data no fix

Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)

Affects your stack

Affects 1 package in euvd

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

The affected product, IBM watsonx.data (CPE: cpe:2.3:a:ibm:watsonx.data:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*), is IBM's data lakehouse platform built for hybrid multi-cloud analytics workloads. The root cause is classified under CWE-923 - Improper Restriction of Communication Channel to Intended Endpoints - meaning the platform fails to enforce adequate access control boundaries on the network channels used for data movement and file operations. In a lakehouse architecture, data ingestion, transformation, and storage pipelines routinely open internal and external connections for file transfer operations. When these channels are not properly gated by authorization checks, a session operating under low privileges can leverage them to read or write data outside its intended scope. The CVSS vector AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N reflects that the flaw is exploitable over the network with minimal privilege and no special conditions needed beyond authentication.

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Severity by source

NVD PRIMARY 5.3 MEDIUM
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N

Primary rating from NVD · only source for this CVE.

CVSS VectorNVD

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

Lifecycle Timeline

1
CVSS changed
Jul 24, 2026 - 11:22 NVD
5.4 (MEDIUM) 5.3 (MEDIUM)

DescriptionNVD

IBM watsonx.data 2.2 through 2.3.1 IBM Lakehouse does not properly restrict inbound and outbound connections which could allow an attacker to transfer or modify files without restrictions.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.0%
Top 93% exploitable
Data Quality
5 sources
Confidence: Medium

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.

SignalValue
Severity MEDIUM
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.0%
Patch available Yes
Active threat No
Deciding rule
MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived
Scheduled
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable
No
Human Impact· derived
Medium
Technical Impact
Partial

Priority Score

26
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +26
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Information disclosure occurs when an application unintentionally exposes sensitive data that aids attackers in reconnaissance or directly compromises security.

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