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IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management EUVDEUVD-2026-31954

| CVE-2026-3660 CRITICAL
Incorrect Authorization (CWE-863)
2026-05-26 ibm GHSA-cxh9-m8x4-52q5
9.8
CVSS 3.1 · Vendor: ibm
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Attack ChainAIDerived

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

  1. Access
    Identify reachable ELM server
  2. Delivery
    Send unauthenticated property-update request
  3. Exploit
    Bypass authorization check (CWE-863)
  4. Execution
    Overwrite server property file
  5. Persist
    Gain unauthorized application access
  6. Impact
    Access or tamper with engineering data

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A01:2025 - Broken Access Control
ASVS 5.0
V8 - Authorization Authorization logic validation
MITRE ATT&CK

1 technique across 1 tactic: Privilege Escalation

The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up.

Exploitation Conditions

No special conditions - remote unauthenticated network access to the IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management server's HTTP(S) interface against default configurations of versions 7.0.3 ≤IF021, 7.1.0 ≤IF009, or 7.2.0 ≤IF001 is sufficient (CVSS AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N). The primary limiting factor is exposure: ELM is typically an internal enterprise application, so exploitation requires the attacker to already be on a network segment that can reach the server (corporate LAN, VPN, or any internet-exposed instance). No user interaction, no prior credentials, and no non-default feature toggles are required per the description and CVSS vector.

Impact

The CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) describes a network-reachable, low-complexity, unauthenticated, no-user-interaction flaw with total CIA impact - the worst-case profile. SSVC reinforces this: Automatable=yes and Technical Impact=total, both of which would prioritize this in CISA's decision framework. However, SSVC Exploitation=none and EPSS at 0.03% (10th percentile) indicate that no active exploitation or public exploit code has been observed, and the vulnerability is not on the CISA KEV list. The realistic posture is that this is a high-priority patch for any internet-exposed or broadly-reachable ELM deployment because exploitation would be trivial once a technique is published, but there is no evidence of in-the-wild use yet. Defenders should treat the CVSS/SSVC severity as the dominant signal and not be reassured by the low EPSS, since EPSS often lags for niche enterprise products with small attack surfaces on the public internet.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker with network reachability to the ELM server sends crafted requests to the vulnerable property-update endpoint without supplying credentials, modifying server configuration to grant themselves an administrative account or weaken authentication settings. They then log in as a privileged user and access or tamper with engineering artifacts (requirements, source linkages, test plans), potentially pivoting to other integrated systems. No public exploit identified at time of analysis, but SSVC Automatable=yes indicates a working technique could be scripted at scale once disclosed.

Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Why: CRITICAL severity.
Patch available 0.0% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Jun 08, 2026

Authorization bypass in IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management (ELM) 7.0.3, 7.1.0, and 7.2.0 allows unauthenticated remote attackers to modify server property files and gain unauthorized access to the application. The flaw carries a critical CVSS 9.8 score with full confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact, and IBM has released Interim Fixes addressing it. No public exploit identified at time of analysis, and EPSS exploitation probability is very low (0.03%, 10th percentile).

RemediationAI

Apply the IBM-released Interim Fixes documented at https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7274079 - specifically upgrade beyond Interim Fix 021 for 7.0.3, beyond Interim Fix 009 for 7.1.0, and beyond Interim Fix 001 for 7.2.0 (Patch available per vendor advisory). Until the fix is applied, restrict network access to ELM server endpoints to trusted management networks or VPN-only reachability via firewall or reverse-proxy ACLs, which neutralizes the AV:N attack vector at the cost of breaking remote integrations and external client tooling. Additionally, monitor for unexpected writes to server property files on ELM hosts and review property-file integrity against a known-good baseline; this is a detection-only control and will not block exploitation, but it provides high-fidelity evidence of an attempt.

Affected VersionsENISA

Engineering Lifecycle Management 7.2.0 ≤Interim Fix 001
Engineering Lifecycle Management 7.1.0 ≤Interim Fix 009
Engineering Lifecycle Management 7.0.3 ≤Interim Fix 021

Affects your stack

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

Technical ContextAI · show details

IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management is an enterprise suite for application lifecycle management used across requirements, design, quality, and configuration management workflows (covered by cpe:2.3:a:ibm:engineering_lifecycle_management). The root cause is CWE-863 (Incorrect Authorization), meaning the application performs an authorization check but applies the wrong logic or fails to enforce restrictions on a privileged action. In this case, the server exposes a code path that allows modification of property files - configuration data that the server trusts at runtime - without first validating that the caller is authenticated or authorized, effectively turning a configuration management primitive into an authentication bypass.

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  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

Vendor (ibm) PRIMARY 9.8 CRITICAL
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Primary rating from Vendor (ibm) · only source for this CVE.

CVSS VectorVendor: ibm

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

DescriptionCVE.org

IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management 7.0.3 ( through ) Interim Fix 021, 7.1.0 ( through ) Interim Fix 009, and 7.2.0 ( through ) Interim Fix 001 could allow an unauthenticated remote attacker to update server property files that would allow them to gain unauthorized access to the application.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management (ELM) versions 7.0.3, 7.1.0, and 7.2.0 contain a critical authorization bypass vulnerability enabling unauthenticated remote attackers to modify server configurations and access application data without credentials. Organizations running affected ELM deployments face immediate risk of unauthorized system access, data modification, and potential exfiltration. Remediation is urgent due to the critical severity and lack of authentication requirements.

Business Impact: Severe
Compensating Controls

Apply vendor patch.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.0%
Top 90% exploitable
Social Media
1
Sightings
Data Quality
6 sources
Confidence: High

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 CRITICAL
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.0%
Patch available Yes
Active threat No
Deciding rule
CRITICAL severity
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
Out-of-Cycle
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable
Yes
Human Impact
Very High
Technical Impact
Total

Priority Score

49
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +49
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Authentication bypass attacks exploit flaws in the verification mechanisms that control access to systems and applications.

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