CVE-2015-7489
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedIBM SPSS Statistics 22.0.0.2 before IF10 and 23.0.0.2 before IF7 uses weak permissions (Everyone: Write) for Python scripts, which allows local users to gain privileges by modifying a script.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceIBM SPSS Statistics versions 22.0.0.2 before IF10 and 23.0.0.2 before IF7 store Python scripts with weak file permissions (Everyone: Write), allowing any local user to modify these scripts. When the application executes the scripts with elevated privileges, a local attacker can inject malicious code to achieve privilege escalation.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data= 22.0.0.2= 23.0.0.2CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Confirm IBM SPSS Statistics installationLocate the IBM SPSS Statistics installation directory, typically under Program Files/IBM/SPSS/Statistics or Program Files (x86)/IBM/SPSS/Statistics on Windows. Look for the Statistics.exe file.Affected if The software is not installed or the installation directory cannot be found.
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Check installed versionRight-click Statistics.exe, select Properties, then look at the Version tab to find the file version. Alternatively, open the application and go to Help > About IBM SPSS Statistics.Affected if The version is 22.0.0.2 (any subversion before IF10) or 23.0.0.2 (any subversion before IF7). Versions outside this range or with IF10/IF7 applied are not affected.
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Locate Python script directoriesNavigate to the IBM SPSS Statistics installation directory and search for folders containing Python scripts (.py files), typically under the scripts, extensions, or bin subdirectories.Affected if Python script directories or .py files exist within the installation.
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Inspect file permissions on Python scriptsRight-click the Python script folder or individual .py files, select Properties, then go to the Security tab. Click on 'Everyone' and check the Permissions entry.Affected if The 'Everyone' group has Write or Modify permissions granted, meaning any local user can modify these scripts.
A user is affected if they have IBM SPSS Statistics version 22.0.0.2 before IF10 or 23.0.0.2 before IF7 installed AND the Python script directories grant Write permissions to the Everyone group.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataApply vendor interim fixes IF10 for version 22 and IF7 for version 23. As a workaround, manually restrict write permissions on Python script directories to Administrators/Trusted users only.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2015-7489 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2015-7489 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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