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IBM FTM EUVDEUVD-2026-84947

| CVE-2026-18137 HIGH
SQL Injection (CWE-89)
2026-09-22 psirt@us.ibm.com GHSA-2m6g-r3xw-8gmw
8.1
CVSS 3.1 · Vendor: us
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Attack ChainAIDerived

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

  1. Access
    Reach FTM message-flow endpoint (network)
  2. Delivery
    Submit crafted transaction payload
  3. Exploit
    Bypass input neutralization
  4. Execution
    Inject arbitrary ESQL command
  5. Impact
    Manipulate/exfiltrate transaction data

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A05:2025 - Injection
ASVS 5.0
V1 - Encoding and Sanitization Parameterized queries, prepared statements
MITRE ATT&CK

2 techniques across 2 tactics: Initial Access, Persistence

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

Exploitation Conditions

Requires network reachability to an IBM Financial Transaction Manager (FTM) for RedHat OpenShift message flow that constructs ESQL commands from externally supplied input without proper neutralization of special elements. No authentication is required (PR:N) and no user interaction (UI:N), but the CVSS AC:H indicates a non-default precondition - likely a specific FTM flow/configuration that passes attacker-controlled data into an ESQL statement, or specific crafting needed to escape the ESQL context. Exploitation is limited to environments actually running FTM on OpenShift with such a vulnerable flow exposed; the niche product footprint and AC:H are the primary real-world limiters.

Impact

This is a CVSS 8.1 (High) flaw scored by IBM PSIRT with vector AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - a network-reachable, unauthenticated (PR:N) ESQL command-injection (CWE-89 SQL injection family) yielding full confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact. The single tempering signal in the vector is AC:H, indicating the attacker must satisfy some non-trivial precondition or craft the injection carefully, which is why the score lands at 8.1 rather than ~9.8. No EPSS score, no CISA KEV listing, and no public exploit are present in the supplied data, so the status is: no public exploit identified at time of analysis. No SSVC decision data was provided. Net: the CVSS ceiling is genuinely high (unauthenticated RCE-equivalent via ESQL), but real-world urgency is dampened by AC:H, the absence of any exploitation/POC/EPSS signal, and the niche deployment footprint (IBM FTM on OpenShift). Treat as a serious patch-soon item for the small population that runs this product, not a mass-exploitation emergency. No key data conflicts observed - the CVSS network vector is consistent with the 'remote attacker' description; only the AC:H precondition is unspecified by the vendor description and should be verified against IBM node/7288641.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

A remote attacker submits a crafted transaction or message payload to an internet- or network-reachable IBM FTM message flow that fails to neutralize special characters before building an ESQL command. The injected ESQL alters query logic or executes attacker-directed operations against the financial-transaction data store, giving full read/write and disruption capability. No authentication is required (PR:N), but the AC:H metric implies success depends on crafting the injection around specific input handling or flow conditions; no public proof-of-concept is known.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
No patch listed yet 0.5% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Sep 22, 2026

Remote code execution via ESQL command injection affects IBM Financial Transaction Manager (FTM) for Red Hat OpenShift, where externally supplied input is combined into ESQL statements without neutralization of special elements. Per IBM PSIRT scoring (CVSS 8.1, AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H), an unauthenticated remote attacker who can reach a vulnerable FTM message flow that builds ESQL commands from attacker-controlled data can achieve full confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact within the FTM runtime and its connected resources. The high attack-complexity rating reflects a non-default precondition - typically a specific flow or configuration that routes untrusted data into ESQL - so exposure is limited to environments running FTM on OpenShift with such a flow. No public exploit code identified at time of analysis and the issue is not listed in CISA KEV; EPSS data was not provided.

RemediationAI

No vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis, so the first action is to consult the IBM advisory at https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7288641 for the current fix-pack level and apply any IBM-issued interim fix or upgrade; there is no confirmed exact fix version in the supplied data, so do not assume a specific build number. Until a fix is applied, the highest-value compensating control is to harden the data path rather than the whole platform: identify any FTM message flow where request-driven fields are concatenated into ESQL and rewrite those statements to use parameter markers/bind variables instead of string concatenation (this eliminates the injection class outright, at the cost of code changes and re-testing of affected flows). Additionally, restrict network reachability to only the trusted producers that legitimately feed those flows (for example, firewall or OpenShift NetworkPolicy rules limiting access to the HTTP or MQ input nodes of vulnerable flows, or requiring mutual TLS) - the trade-off is reduced flexibility for legitimate clients and possible disruption of integration partners. Where a flow cannot be remediated quickly, disable or undeploy it and process the affected transactions out-of-band. Finally, run FTM runtime and its database connections under least-privilege credentials so that injected ESQL cannot reach unrelated schemas or administrative functions; this does not remove the vulnerability but materially narrows blast radius.

Affected VersionsENISA

Financial Transaction Manager (FTM) for RedHat OpenShift 4.0.6.0 ≤4.0.6.0.0.6.0 Refresh (Operator 4.4.6+20260807.081800)4.0.7.04.0.8.04.0.9.04.0.10.0 Interim Fix 064

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

ESQL is the SQL-like language used by IBM's integration runtime (App Connect Enterprise, formerly WebSphere Message Broker/IBM Integration Bus) on which FTM for Red Hat OpenShift executes its message flows; ESQL statements are used to read, transform, and route message trees, and can also pass statements through to back-end databases via PASSTHRU. This CVE is classified under CWE-89 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command), here manifesting as ESQL command injection: when a flow concatenates externally supplied values directly into an ESQL statement instead of binding them as parameters or literals, an attacker can inject ESQL syntax that alters the statement's semantics, reads or modifies message data, and - depending on the flow and its database credentials - execute arbitrary commands or arbitrary database operations. The CVSS vector AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N indicates the flaw is network reachable and requires no authentication or user interaction, but that a non-default condition (a particular vulnerable flow/configuration, or specific crafted input needed to break out of the ESQL context) must be satisfied. No CPE data was supplied with this record, so the precise affected build set for FTM on OpenShift must be taken from the IBM advisory rather than from CPE matching.

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  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

Vendor (us) PRIMARY 8.1 HIGH
AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
vuln.today AI 8.1 HIGH

Agree with IBM: network-reachable and unauthenticated (AV:N/PR:N), AC:H for the crafting/flow precondition, and full C/I/A impact from arbitrary ESQL execution against the transaction store.

3.1 AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
4.0 AV:N/AC:H/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Primary rating from Vendor (us).

CVSS VectorVendor: us

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

DescriptionCVE.org

IBM Financial Transaction Manager (FTM) for RedHat OpenShift could allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary ESQL commands due to improper neutralization of special elements used in an ESQL command.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

IBM Financial Transaction Manager (FTM) for Red Hat OpenShift is affected by a high-severity, unauthenticated remote code execution vulnerability (CVE-2026-18137) that, under a non-default message-flow configuration, could allow an attacker to fully compromise the FTM runtime and connected financial transaction resources. Because FTM supports payment and settlement processing, exploitation could disrupt transaction integrity and availability and expose sensitive financial data, making this a material risk to operations and compliance. No public exploit identified at time of analysis, and no vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis.

Business Impact: High
Compensating Controls

No vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis. Interim mitigations include restricting network access to FTM message flows that build ESQL from externally supplied data, disabling or quarantining such flows where possible, enforcing strict input validation and neutralization on ESQL-bound inputs, and monitoring for anomalous ESQL command activity.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.5%
Top 58% exploitable
Prevalence
Low
niche IBM financial-transaction platform on OpenShift, enterprise-only footprint
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 HIGH
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.5%
Patch available No
Active threat No
Deciding rule
HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)
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
Scheduled
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable
No
Human Impact
High
Technical Impact
Total

Priority Score

41
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: +1
CVSS: +40
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

SQL injection exploits the way applications construct database queries by mixing user input directly into SQL statements.

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