Overview
CVE-2025-36299 describes a medium-severity vulnerability affecting IBM Planning Analytics Local versions 2.1.0 through 2.1.14. This vulnerability stems from the storage of sensitive information within the application’s source code. An attacker who gains access to this source code could potentially extract this information and leverage it for further malicious activities against the system.
Technical Details
The vulnerability exists due to the inadvertent inclusion of sensitive data, such as API keys, passwords, or internal system configurations, directly within the source code of IBM Planning Analytics Local. While the exact nature of the exposed data isn’t publicly detailed beyond “sensitive information,” its presence allows for potential unauthorized access and control if the source code is compromised.
CVSS Analysis
The Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) score for CVE-2025-36299 is 4.3 (MEDIUM). The CVSS vector is likely to be AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N, implying:
- Attack Vector (AV:L): Local – An attacker needs local access to the system to exploit this vulnerability.
- Attack Complexity (AC:L): Low – The attack is relatively easy to execute.
- Privileges Required (PR:N): None – No privileges are required to exploit this vulnerability. Although Local access is required, no special user rights are needed once the attacker has local access.
- User Interaction (UI:N): None – No user interaction is required.
- Scope (S:U): Unchanged – The vulnerability’s impact is limited to the vulnerable component.
- Confidentiality (C:L): Low – There is limited impact on confidentiality; some sensitive information may be disclosed.
- Integrity (I:N): None – There is no impact on data integrity.
- Availability (A:N): None – There is no impact on system availability.
While the CVSS score is moderate, the potential impact of the revealed information can be significant if chained with other vulnerabilities or exploits.
Possible Impact
Successful exploitation of CVE-2025-36299 could lead to:
- Unauthorized Access: Exposed credentials or API keys could be used to gain unauthorized access to the Planning Analytics system or related resources.
- Data Breach: Depending on the nature of the exposed data, a data breach could occur if the sensitive information grants access to confidential data.
- System Compromise: In the worst-case scenario, the revealed information could be used to compromise the entire Planning Analytics environment.
Mitigation or Patch Steps
The recommended mitigation is to upgrade IBM Planning Analytics Local to a version beyond 2.1.14. Refer to the IBM Security Bulletin for specific instructions on obtaining and applying the necessary patch.
Best practices also dictate:
- Regularly reviewing and auditing source code for inadvertently included sensitive information.
- Implementing strong access control measures to restrict access to the Planning Analytics server and its files.
- Employing secrets management tools to securely store and manage sensitive data, rather than embedding it directly in source code.
