CVE-2025-0165
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 watsonx Orchestrate Cartridge for IBM Cloud Pak for Data 4.8.4, 4.8.5, and 5.0.0 through 5.2.0 is vulnerable to SQL injection. A remote attacker could send specially crafted SQL statements, which could allow the attacker to view, add, modify, or delete information in the back-end database.
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 watsonx Orchestrate Cartridge for IBM Cloud Pak for Data versions 4.8.4 through 5.2.0 contains a SQL injection vulnerability allowing remote attackers to execute arbitrary SQL statements against the back-end database, potentially enabling unauthorized data access, modification, or deletion.
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>= 4.8.4, <= 4.8.5>= 5.0.0, < 5.2.0.1CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify IBM watsonx Orchestrate Cartridge is installedLocate the IBM watsonx Orchestrate Cartridge installation within your IBM Cloud Pak for Data environment. Check the installed packages or components list for the cartridge name.Affected if The cartridge is not present in your environment, you are not affected.
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Determine the installed version of the cartridgeUse the IBM Cloud Pak for Data administration interface or CLI tools to query the installed version of the watsonx Orchestrate Cartridge component. Common methods include using oc CLI, cpd-cli, or the Cloud Pak for Data web console under the Installed Software section.Affected if The version cannot be determined, treat as potentially affected and investigate further.
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Compare version against affected range 4.8.4 to 4.8.5Check if the installed version falls within 4.8.4 through 4.8.5 inclusive. This includes any patch versions like 4.8.4.0, 4.8.4.1, 4.8.5.0, etc.Affected if Installed version is 4.8.4.x or 4.8.5.x, you are affected.
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Compare version against affected range 5.0.0 to 5.2.0Check if the installed version is 5.0.0 or higher but lower than 5.2.0.1. This includes 5.0.0, 5.0.1, 5.1.0, 5.1.1, 5.2.0, and any interim patch versions.Affected if Installed version is 5.0.0 through 5.2.0 (excluding 5.2.0.1 and later), you are affected.
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Identify web-facing interfaces or API endpointsReview your IBM Cloud Pak for Data deployment to determine if the watsonx Orchestrate web interfaces or API endpoints are exposed externally or accessible to untrusted networks. SQL injection requires an attack vector to reach the vulnerable code.Affected if The cartridge is only accessible internally with no external exposure, the practical risk is reduced but the software version may still be vulnerable.
Your environment is affected if IBM watsonx Orchestrate Cartridge for IBM Cloud Pak for Data is installed and the version falls within 4.8.4 to 4.8.5 or 5.0.0 to 5.2.0 (excluding 5.2.0.1 and later).
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.
dbcve · scoped5.2.0.1
Apply vendor-supplied patches immediately upon availability. Until then, implement input validation and web application firewall rules to mitigate exploitation of this critical SQL injection flaw.
5.2.0.1 or later
- 1. Identify the current version of Watsonx Orchestrate Cartridge for IBM Cloud Pak for Data in your environment
- 2. Plan an upgrade to version 5.2.0.1 or later to address the SQL injection vulnerability
- 3. Review IBM Cloud Pak for Data upgrade documentation for proper upgrade procedures
- 4. Back up your current configuration and data before initiating the upgrade
- 5. Perform the upgrade following IBM's recommended upgrade path for your deployment model
- 6. After upgrade, verify the Watsonx Orchestrate Cartridge version is 5.2.0.1 or higher
- 7. Test that all SQL-dependent functionality works correctly post-upgrade
- 8. Validate that the SQL injection vulnerability is no longer present by reviewing any available IBM security bulletins
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation16.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-0165 — 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-2025-0165 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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