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Datastage On Cloud Pak For DataApplication · Ibm

CVE-2025-13687

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-03-03
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.3.1 or later.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable 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 DataStage on Cloud Pak for Data 5.1.2 through 5.3.0 could allow an authenticated user to execute arbitrary commands with normal user privileges on the system due to improper validation of user supplied input through the user-defined function component.

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 DataStage on Cloud Pak for Data versions 5.1.2 through 5.3.0 contains a command injection vulnerability in the user-defined function (UDF) component. The UDF fails to properly validate user-supplied input, allowing an authenticated user to execute arbitrary operating system commands with normal user privileges.

MitigationUpgrade IBM DataStage on Cloud Pak for Data to a version beyond 5.3.0 once a patch is available from IBM. As a temporary mitigation, restrict access to the user-defined function component to only trusted users and monitor for suspicious command execution.

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
Datastage On Cloud Pak For DataApplication
Affected:>= 5.1.2, < 5.3.1

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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/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 the installed IBM DataStage version
    Use the Cloud Pak for Data administration console or run the appropriate version command for your installation to determine the exact version number of IBM DataStage.
    Affected if The installed version is 5.1.2, 5.1.3, 5.2.0, 5.2.1, 5.2.2, 5.3.0 or any version >= 5.1.2 and < 5.3.1
  2. Confirm the UDF component is accessible
    Verify that the User-Defined Function (UDF) component is enabled and accessible in your IBM DataStage environment through the administrative interface or configuration settings.
    Affected if The UDF component is enabled and available to users in your environment
  3. Review UDF execution logs for suspicious activity
    Examine IBM DataStage and operating system logs for any UDF-related command executions that appear unusual, unexpected, or potentially malicious, particularly commands executed by standard user accounts.
    Affected if You find UDF executions containing unexpected operating system commands such as shell invocations, file operations, or network utilities that were not intentionally configured by your administrators
  4. Check for unauthorized user access to UDF functionality
    Audit user accounts and access permissions to determine which authenticated users have permissions to use the UDF component, and verify that only intended users have such access.
    Affected if Unauthorized or unexpected user accounts have been granted permissions to use the UDF functionality

Your environment is affected if IBM DataStage on Cloud Pak for Data is installed at version 5.1.2 through 5.3.0 and the UDF component is enabled with accessible user accounts, as this combination allows authenticated users to inject and execute arbitrary operating system commands.

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 5.3.1 or later
Fixed in 5.3.1
Interim mitigation

Upgrade IBM DataStage on Cloud Pak for Data to a version beyond 5.3.0 once a patch is available from IBM. As a temporary mitigation, restrict access to the user-defined function component to only trusted users and monitor for suspicious command execution.

Recommended fix High confidence

IBM Cloud Pak for Data 5.3.1 or later

  1. Identify the current IBM Cloud Pak for Data deployment version using the ocp console or cpd-cli manage version command
  2. Plan for an upgrade to IBM Cloud Pak for Data version 5.3.1 or later to address the command injection vulnerability
  3. Review IBM Cloud Pak for Data upgrade documentation for version 5.3.1
  4. Back up all DataStage flows, pipelines, and user-defined functions before performing the upgrade
  5. Execute the upgrade following IBM's standard upgrade procedures for Cloud Pak for Data (typically using the cpd-cli upgrade command or OCP operators)
  6. After upgrade, verify that DataStage version reflects 5.3.1 or later
  7. Test user-defined function component to confirm the vulnerability is remediated
  8. Ensure only authorized users have access to DataStage user-defined function creation
Caveat Review IBM Cloud Pak for Data 5.3.1 release notes for any breaking changes or compatibility considerations before upgrading

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

Fix this in Datastage On Cloud Pak For Data Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
30.0 hours of engineering $5,280
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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-2025-13687 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