Overview
CVE-2025-36158 describes a medium-severity vulnerability affecting IBM Concert versions 1.0.0 through 2.0.0. This vulnerability could allow a local user, granted specific permissions within the IBM Concert environment, to potentially gain unauthorized access to sensitive information. The underlying cause is an uncontrolled recursive directory copying operation, which, if exploited, could inadvertently expose files that the user should not have access to.
Technical Details
The vulnerability stems from a flaw in how IBM Concert handles directory copying operations when specific user permissions are in place. The application doesn’t adequately restrict the scope of the copy operation, leading to the potential for recursive copying to traverse directories and files beyond the intended target. A local user, with the right permissions, might be able to trigger this uncontrolled copy operation, inadvertently including sensitive data in the copied files that they would not normally be authorized to access. The specifics of these required permissions and the exact copy operation that triggers the vulnerability will likely be detailed further in IBM’s advisory.
CVSS Analysis
The Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) assigns CVE-2025-36158 a score of 5.1, indicating a MEDIUM severity. This score reflects the following factors:
- Attack Vector: Local (The attacker needs local access to the system).
- Attack Complexity: Low (The conditions for exploiting the vulnerability are easily met).
- Privileges Required: Low (The attacker needs some level of privileges).
- User Interaction: None (No user interaction is required for the attacker to exploit).
- Scope: Unchanged (The vulnerability does not affect resources beyond the security scope managed by the security authority).
- Confidentiality Impact: Partial (There is a potential loss of some confidential information).
- Integrity Impact: None (There is no impact to data integrity).
- Availability Impact: None (There is no impact to system availability).
While the CVSS score is medium, the potential impact of sensitive data exposure should not be underestimated.
Possible Impact
Successful exploitation of CVE-2025-36158 could lead to:
- Unauthorized Access to Sensitive Data: A local user could gain access to confidential information, such as internal documents, user credentials, or proprietary data, which they are not authorized to view.
- Data Breach: The exposed data could potentially be exfiltrated from the system, leading to a data breach.
- Compliance Violations: Exposure of sensitive data may violate data privacy regulations (e.g., GDPR, CCPA).
Mitigation or Patch Steps
The recommended mitigation is to apply the patch or upgrade to a version of IBM Concert that addresses this vulnerability. Follow these steps:
- Identify Affected Systems: Determine which systems are running IBM Concert versions 1.0.0 through 2.0.0.
- Apply the Patch/Upgrade: Consult IBM’s security bulletin (linked below) for the specific patch or upgrade instructions. Follow IBM’s documented procedure carefully.
- Verify Remediation: After applying the patch or upgrade, verify that the vulnerability is no longer present. This may involve re-running the same actions that triggered the vulnerability before the fix.
- Principle of Least Privilege: Review and enforce the principle of least privilege to limit user access to only the resources they require. This can mitigate the impact of future vulnerabilities.
