CVE-2025-0165 in watsonx Orchestrate Cartridge for Cloud Pak for Data
Summary
by MITRE • 08/30/2025
IBM watsonx Orchestrate Cartridge for IBM Cloud Pak for Data 4.8.4, 4.8.5, and 5.0.0 through 5.2.0 is vulnerable to SQL injection. A remote attacker could send specially crafted SQL statements, which could allow the attacker to view, add, modify, or delete information in the back-end database.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/19/2025
IBM watsonx Orchestrate Cartridge for IBM Cloud Pak for Data versions 4.8.4 through 5.2.0 contains a critical sql injection vulnerability that enables remote attackers to execute arbitrary database commands. This vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and sanitization within the application's database interaction layers, allowing malicious actors to inject crafted sql payloads through improperly validated user inputs. The flaw exists in the cartridge's backend database communication mechanisms where user-supplied parameters are directly incorporated into sql queries without adequate escaping or parameterization.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability aligns with common weakness enumeration cwes 89 and 77. The attack surface encompasses all database operations performed through the affected cartridge interface, including but not limited to data retrieval, insertion, update, and deletion functions. Attackers can exploit this weakness to bypass authentication mechanisms, extract sensitive data from underlying databases, modify critical system information, or even escalate privileges within the database environment. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it affects multiple versions of the software, indicating a persistent flaw in the codebase rather than a one-time implementation error.
Operationally, this vulnerability presents a severe risk to organizations deploying IBM watsonx Orchestrate Cartridge as it provides attackers with direct access to backend databases containing potentially sensitive information. The impact extends beyond simple data theft to include potential system compromise, data integrity violations, and service disruption. Organizations using affected versions may experience unauthorized access to customer data, business intelligence, system configurations, and other confidential information stored within the database. The remote nature of the attack means that exploitation can occur from any network location without requiring physical access to the system.
Mitigation strategies should include immediate patching of affected versions to the latest available releases from IBM, which contain proper sql injection防护 mechanisms. Organizations should also implement network segmentation to limit access to affected systems, deploy web application firewalls to detect and block sql injection attempts, and conduct thorough code reviews to identify similar vulnerabilities in custom applications. Additionally, database access should be restricted to minimal required privileges, and all database interactions should be parameterized to prevent direct sql statement construction from user inputs. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of following secure coding practices and maintaining up-to-date security controls as outlined in the mitre attack framework's defensive strategies for preventing data access and exfiltration techniques.