Cognos ControllerApplication · Ibm

CVE-2024-25020

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-12-03
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 Cognos Controller 11.0.0 and 11.0.1 is vulnerable to malicious file upload by allowing unrestricted filetype attachments in the Journal entry page. Attackers can make use of this weakness and upload malicious executable files into the system and can be sent to victims for performing further attacks.

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 Cognos Controller versions 11.0.0 and 11.0.1 contains an unrestricted file upload vulnerability in the Journal entry page. The application fails to properly validate file types during attachment uploads, allowing attackers to upload malicious executable files that can then be distributed to victims for further attacks.

MitigationImplement strict allowlist-based file type validation on the Journal entry page upload functionality to permit only safe, expected file types and reject executable content.

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
Cognos ControllerApplication
Affected:= 11.0.0= 11.0.1

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 Cognos Controller version
    Check the installed version of IBM Cognos Controller in your environment. This is typically available through the Cognos Administration console or by reviewing the installation metadata.
    Affected if The installed version is exactly 11.0.0 or exactly 11.0.1
  2. Locate the Journal entry page
    Access the Journal entry functionality within the Cognos Controller web interface. The typical path is through the Controller web client, often under a Financial Reporting or Journal module.
    Affected if The Journal entry page is accessible and allows file attachments
  3. Verify file upload capability exists
    On the Journal entry page, attempt to locate and examine the file upload or attachment feature. Check if an option to attach files exists and what controls are present.
    Affected if File upload functionality is present on the Journal entry page without proper file type validation controls visible
  4. Inspect uploaded attachments in the system
    Review any existing uploaded files in the system related to Journal entries. Check for files with executable extensions such as .exe, .bat, .cmd, .msi, .dll, .ps1, .vbs, .js, or other potentially malicious file types.
    Affected if Any executable or potentially malicious file types are found attached to Journal entries

You are affected if IBM Cognos Controller version 11.0.0 or 11.0.1 is installed and the Journal entry page with unrestricted file upload functionality is accessible and in use.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Implement strict allowlist-based file type validation on the Journal entry page upload functionality to permit only safe, expected file types and reject executable content.

Fix this in Cognos Controller Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2024-25020 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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