CVE-2025-36363 in DevOps Plan
Summary
by MITRE • 03/03/2026
IBM DevOps Plan 3.0.0 through 3.0.5 uses an inadequate account lockout setting that could allow a remote attacker to brute force account credentials.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/04/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-36363 affects IBM DevOps Plan versions 3.0.0 through 3.0.5, presenting a significant security risk through inadequate account lockout mechanisms. This flaw resides within the authentication framework of the DevOps platform, specifically targeting the account lockout policy implementation that governs failed login attempts. The insufficient configuration allows unauthorized actors to conduct systematic brute force attacks against user credentials without effective account protection measures.
The technical implementation flaw stems from the absence of proper account lockout thresholds and mechanisms that would normally prevent automated credential guessing attacks. When attackers repeatedly attempt to authenticate with invalid credentials, the system fails to effectively mitigate these attempts through account lockout or temporary suspension mechanisms. This vulnerability falls under the category of weak authentication controls and can be categorized as CWE-307 - Improper Restriction of Excessive Authentication Attempts. The lack of rate limiting and account lockout functionality creates a window of opportunity for attackers to systematically guess user passwords through automated tools and scripts.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple credential theft, as it enables attackers to gain unauthorized access to development environments, source code repositories, and deployment configurations. Successful exploitation could lead to complete compromise of the DevOps infrastructure, potentially resulting in code injection, unauthorized deployments, and access to sensitive development data. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to target multiple user accounts within the platform, undermining the integrity of the entire development pipeline. The vulnerability also creates opportunities for lateral movement within the organization's development ecosystem, as compromised accounts could provide access to additional systems and resources.
Organizations utilizing affected IBM DevOps Plan versions should immediately implement mitigations including enabling proper account lockout policies, implementing rate limiting mechanisms, and configuring automatic account suspension after failed authentication attempts. The solution should align with industry best practices outlined in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the credential access tactics, specifically targeting techniques related to credential dumping and brute force attacks. Network-level protections such as firewall rules and intrusion detection systems should be configured to monitor and block suspicious authentication patterns. Additionally, organizations should conduct immediate security assessments to identify any potential exploitation attempts and implement multi-factor authentication as a compensating control to reduce the risk of successful credential compromise.
The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper authentication security controls in development platforms where access to sensitive systems and data is commonplace. Organizations should review their authentication policies and ensure that all authentication mechanisms include adequate protections against automated attack vectors. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be implemented to identify similar weaknesses in other systems and applications. The incident highlights the necessity of adhering to security standards such as NIST SP 800-63B for authentication and credential management, which specifically addresses the need for robust account lockout and rate limiting mechanisms to prevent unauthorized access through credential guessing attacks.