CVE-2025-14753 in Cloud Pak for Data
Summary
by MITRE • 09/18/2026
IBM Cloud Pak for Data 5.1.2 could allow a remote attacker to traverse directories on the system. An attacker could send a specially crafted URL request containing "dot dot" sequences (/../) to view arbitrary files on the system.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/18/2026
The vulnerability identified in IBM Cloud Pak for Data version 5.1.2 represents a critical path traversal flaw that compromises the integrity and confidentiality of data stored within the platform's underlying infrastructure. This security defect arises from insufficient validation or sanitization of user-supplied input, specifically when processing URL requests directed at the application server. By exploiting this weakness, an unauthenticated remote attacker can manipulate file system paths to access resources outside the intended directory structure. The core technical mechanism involves the injection of relative path sequences, commonly known as dot-dot-slash attacks where characters such as ../ are inserted into request parameters or headers. When the backend service processes these inputs without properly resolving or restricting them against a defined root directory, it allows the operating system to resolve paths that escape the application's sandboxed environment. This failure in input validation enables the attacker to read arbitrary files from the host system, potentially exposing sensitive configuration files, source code, credentials, or other proprietary data stored on the server.
From an operational perspective, the impact of this vulnerability is severe as it directly undermines the confidentiality guarantees provided by the cloud platform. An adversary leveraging this flaw could extract database connection strings containing plaintext passwords, retrieve private keys used for encryption and authentication, or access internal configuration files that reveal network topology and service dependencies. This information serves as critical reconnaissance material for further exploitation phases, allowing the attacker to pivot deeper into the infrastructure. In a multi-tenant environment like IBM Cloud Pak for Data, such exposure could also lead to cross-tenant data leakage if isolation mechanisms rely on file system boundaries that are compromised by this path traversal technique. The ability to read arbitrary files effectively grants the attacker significant insight into the application's architecture and security controls, facilitating more sophisticated attacks such as privilege escalation or complete system compromise when combined with other vulnerabilities.
This vulnerability aligns closely with Common Weakness Enumeration identifier CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory. The root cause lies in the software's failure to enforce strict constraints on file path inputs, allowing relative paths to traverse upward through directory levels until they reach sensitive locations outside the webroot or application base directory. In terms of offensive security frameworks, this technique is categorized under MITRE ATT&CK tactic TA0006: Credential Access and specifically relates to techniques involving unauthorized access to files and directories on local systems. The exploitation method described corresponds to path traversal attacks where attackers manipulate variable values containing special characters like dots and slashes to bypass intended restrictions. Such flaws are particularly dangerous in web applications because they often require no authentication if the vulnerable endpoint is publicly accessible, making them a high-priority target for automated scanning tools and opportunistic attackers.
To mitigate this vulnerability, immediate remediation should focus on patching IBM Cloud Pak for Data to version 5.1.2 or later where these issues have been addressed by the vendor through improved input validation logic. Developers must implement strict allow-listing of permitted file paths rather than relying solely on deny lists which may miss edge cases involving encoded characters or alternative path representations. Input sanitization routines should normalize all incoming path strings and verify that the resolved absolute path remains within an expected base directory before any file system operations are executed. Additionally, deploying a Web Application Firewall with rules specifically tuned to detect and block dot-dot-slash sequences can provide a layer of defense in depth while patches are being applied. Regular security audits and static code analysis should be integrated into the development lifecycle to identify similar path handling weaknesses across other components of the platform, ensuring that future updates do not reintroduce comparable flaws through changes in routing or file serving logic.