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Cloud Pak For Business AutomationApplication · Ibm

CVE-2023-35899

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-03-21
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
IBM Cloud Pak for Automation 18.0.0, 18.0.1, 18.0.2, 19.0.1, 19.0.2, 19.0.3, 20.0.1, 20.0.2, 20.0.3, 21.0.1, 21.0.2, 21.0.3, 22.0.1, and 22.0.2 is potentially vulnerable to CSV Injection. A remote attacker could execute arbitrary commands on the system, caused by improper validation of csv file contents. IBM X-Force ID: 259354.

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 · moderate confidence

IBM Cloud Pak for Automation is vulnerable to CSV Injection due to improper validation of CSV file contents. A remote attacker can embed malicious spreadsheet formulas (e.g., =cmd|'/C calc'!A0) into CSV files, which execute arbitrary commands when the file is opened in spreadsheet applications. The lack of input sanitization on CSV data allows formula injection leading to command execution on the affected system.

MitigationApply the IBM patch for CVE-2023-35899 when available. Until then, implement input validation to sanitize or escape special characters (particularly formula-initiating characters like =, @, +, -) in CSV file contents before processing, and educate users about the risks of opening untrusted CSV files.

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
Cloud Pak For Business AutomationApplication
Affected:= 18.0.0= 18.0.1= 18.0.2= 19.0.1= 19.0.2= 19.0.3= 20.0.1= 20.0.2= 20.0.3= 21.0.1= 21.0.2= 21.0.3

CVSS 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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify IBM Cloud Pak for Automation version
    Run 'oc get icpa4 [deployment-name] -o jsonpath={.spec.version}' or check the operator deployment metadata for the installed version number
    Affected if The installed version matches any of: 18.0.0, 18.0.1, 18.0.2, 19.0.1, 19.0.2, 19.0.3, 20.0.1, 20.0.2, 20.0.3, 21.0.1, 21.0.2, 21.0.3
  2. Confirm CSV import or upload capability exists
    Check the deployment for any Data Exchange, File Import, or CSV-related services (look for keywords like 'import', 'upload', 'csv', 'file' in pod names or service definitions)
    Affected if CSV import or file upload functionality is enabled in the deployment
  3. Locate CSV processing components
    Review application logs or configuration maps for CSV parsing libraries or file upload endpoints (check for 'multipart' or 'text/csv' content-type handlers)
    Affected if The system processes CSV files through any import or data load feature

If the installed version is one of the listed versions AND the environment includes CSV file import or upload functionality, the system is potentially affected by this CSV injection vulnerability.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the IBM patch for CVE-2023-35899 when available. Until then, implement input validation to sanitize or escape special characters (particularly formula-initiating characters like =, @, +, -) in CSV file contents before processing, and educate users about the risks of opening untrusted CSV files.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

IBM Cloud Pak for Business Automation 22.0.3 or later (or the latest available fixed release)

  1. 1. Identify the current installed version of IBM Cloud Pak for Business Automation using the IBM Cloud Pak console or oc get icp4aCluster -n <namespace> command
  2. 2. Download the latest IBM Cloud Pak for Business Automation software from IBM Fix Central (https://www.ibm.com/support/fixcentral)
  3. 3. Follow the IBM Cloud Pak upgrade documentation to upgrade to a fixed release (22.0.3 or later)
  4. 4. After upgrade, verify the CSV injection vulnerability is resolved by confirming the IBM APAR fix is included
  5. 5. Test CSV import functionality to ensure normal operations work as expected
Caveat Review IBM Cloud Pak for Business Automation upgrade documentation for any configuration or migration steps required between your current and target version

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Cloud Pak For Business Automation Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA8.0 h
40.0 hours of engineering $6,920
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-35899 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data