CVE-2025-36319 in watsonx.data intelligence
Summary
by MITRE • 07/01/2026
IBM watsonx.data intelligence 5.2.0, 5.2.1, 5.2.2, 5.3.0 could allow an authenticated user to cause a temporary denial using a specially crafted HTTP request due to improper allocation of resource throttling.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/01/2026
This vulnerability affects IBM watsonx.data intelligence versions 5.2.0 through 5.3.0 and represents a resource exhaustion issue that can be exploited by authenticated users to create temporary denial of service conditions. The flaw stems from improper allocation of resource throttling mechanisms within the HTTP request handling system, allowing malicious actors with valid credentials to craft specific requests that consume excessive system resources.
The technical implementation involves the application's failure to properly enforce rate limiting and resource allocation controls on incoming HTTP requests. When an authenticated user submits a specially crafted request, the system does not adequately throttle or limit the resource consumption associated with that request, potentially leading to temporary service unavailability. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-400 which catalogs improper resource management issues, specifically focusing on resource exhaustion through inadequate allocation controls.
From an operational perspective this vulnerability presents significant risk as it requires only authenticated access to exploit, meaning that any user with valid credentials could potentially disrupt service availability. The temporary denial of service impacts the overall reliability and availability of the watsonx.data intelligence platform, affecting legitimate users who depend on consistent system performance. Attackers could leverage this weakness to degrade service quality or create disruptions during critical operations.
The exploitation mechanism typically involves sending multiple crafted requests that consume disproportionate amounts of CPU cycles, memory allocation, or other system resources without proper throttling enforcement. This pattern of abuse can be particularly effective in cloud-based environments where resource limits are more constrained and shared among multiple users. The vulnerability demonstrates poor adherence to secure coding practices related to resource management and request handling.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including enhanced rate limiting controls, stricter resource allocation policies, and monitoring for unusual request patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts. System administrators should review existing throttling configurations and ensure they properly enforce limits on concurrent requests and resource consumption per authenticated user session. The remediation approach aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499 which covers resource exhaustion attacks and emphasizes the importance of proper access controls and resource management in preventing denial of service conditions.
Security teams should also consider implementing automated detection mechanisms that can identify abnormal resource consumption patterns or excessive request rates from authenticated users, enabling proactive response to potential exploitation attempts. Regular vulnerability assessments and security testing of the HTTP request handling components will help ensure that similar resource allocation issues are identified and addressed before they can be exploited in production environments.