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Infosphere Information ServerApplication · Ibm

CVE-2025-12531

CRITICAL · 9.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-11-03
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 11.7.1.6 or later.
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 InfoSphere Information Server 11.7.0.0 through 11.7.1.6 is vulnerable to an XML external entity injection (XXE) attack when processing XML data. A remote attacker could exploit this vulnerability to expose sensitive information or consume memory resources.

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 confidence

IBM InfoSphere Information Server 11.7.0.0-11.7.1.6 contains an XML External Entity (XXE) injection vulnerability in its XML processing functionality. A remote attacker can send specially crafted XML payloads containing external entity references to expose sensitive file contents or cause memory exhaustion through recursive entity expansion. The CVSS 9.1 indicates this is exploitable remotely without authentication.

MitigationApply vendor patches for CVE-2025-12531 to upgrade beyond version 11.7.1.6; alternatively, disable XML external entity processing in the parser configuration or implement strict input validation for XML uploads.

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
Infosphere Information ServerApplication
Affected:>= 11.7, <= 11.7.1.6

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
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/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. Verify IBM InfoSphere Information Server is installed
    Locate IBM InfoSphere Information Server on the system by checking for its installation directory (common paths: C:\IBM\InformationServer on Windows, /opt/IBM/InformationServer on Linux/Unix), reviewing installed software listings, or identifying InfoSphere-related services running on the system.
    Affected if IBM InfoSphere Information Server is present on the system
  2. Determine the installed version
    Retrieve the version of IBM InfoSphere Information Server by accessing the About dialog in the InfoSphere console, reading version files in the installation directory, or running the versionInfo.sh script from the bin directory if available. Compare the version number against the affected range.
    Affected if The installed version falls within 11.7.0.0 through 11.7.1.6 (inclusive)
  3. Confirm XML processing functionality is in use
    Identify whether XML-related features such as XML parsing, XML transformations, or XML data exchange are configured or actively used within the InfoSphere environment by reviewing job configurations, data stage jobs, or XML-related modules.
    Affected if XML processing capabilities are enabled or configured in the environment
  4. Inspect XML parser configuration for external entity settings
    Examine XML parser configurations within InfoSphere to determine whether external entity processing is permitted. Look for XML processor settings in configuration files located in the conf or config directories of the InfoSphere installation, specifically checking parser settings that control external entity resolution.
    Affected if The XML parser is configured to allow external entity processing or XXE-prone settings are not explicitly disabled

The environment is affected if IBM InfoSphere Information Server version 11.7.0.0-11.7.1.6 is installed and XML processing with external entity support is enabled in the parser configuration.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 11.7.1.6
Interim mitigation

Apply vendor patches for CVE-2025-12531 to upgrade beyond version 11.7.1.6; alternatively, disable XML external entity processing in the parser configuration or implement strict input validation for XML uploads.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

11.7.1.7 or later (consult IBM for exact fixed release)

  1. Upgrade IBM InfoSphere Information Server to a version newer than 11.7.1.6
  2. Consult IBM's official security bulletin for the specific fixed release number
  3. After upgrading, verify the XXE vulnerability is resolved by testing XML processing functionality
Caveat Review IBM's release notes for potential compatibility changes between 11.7.1.6 and the target upgrade version

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

Fix this in Infosphere Information Server Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
28.0 hours of engineering $4,760
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $7,616.

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-2025-12531 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