Cloud Pak For Business AutomationApplication · Ibm

CVE-2025-36172

MEDIUM · 5.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-11-03

Mitigation only

No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.

See remediation →

58/100

Remediation priority · Elevated

Remotely reachable

Official description

NVD · unedited

IBM Cloud Pak for Business Automation 25.0.0 through 25.0.0 Interim Fix 001, 24.0.1 through 24.0.1 Interim Fix 004, 24.0.0 through 24.0.0 Interim Fix 006, and earlier unsupported releases IBM Business Automation Workflow is vulnerable to stored cross-site scripting. This vulnerability allows an authenticated user to embed arbitrary JavaScript code in the Web UI thus altering the intended functionality potentially leading to credentials disclosure within a trusted session.

Technical summary

dbcve analysis · high confidence

IBM Cloud Pak for Business Automation and IBM Business Automation Workflow contain a stored cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Web UI. An authenticated user can embed arbitrary JavaScript code into the interface, potentially altering application functionality and enabling credential disclosure within trusted sessions.

MitigationApply the appropriate IBM interim fixes (25.0.0 IF001, 24.0.1 IF004, 24.0.0 IF006 or later), implement robust input validation and output encoding on user-supplied data, and enforce Content Security Policy headers to mitigate XSS execution.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions

NVD · CPE data

Cloud Pak For Business AutomationApplication

Affected:= 24.0.0= 24.0.1= 25.0.0

CVSS breakdown

From the vector

Attack vector: Network
Complexity: Low
Privileges: Low
User interaction: Required
Scope: Changed
Confidentiality: Low
Integrity: Low
Availability: None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N

Am I affected?

dbcve checks

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

Identify installed IBM Cloud Pak for Business Automation version

Check the product version by accessing the IBM Cloud Pak cluster management console or running 'ibmcloud cp4ba version' command. Alternatively, inspect the operator deployment manifest or the IBM Cloud Pak for Business Automation operator pod for the version annotation.

Affected if The installed version matches 24.0.0, 24.0.1, or 25.0.0 exactly.
Identify installed IBM Business Automation Workflow version

Check the version by accessing the BAW deployment through the WebSphere Admin Console or by inspecting the deployment configuration in the cluster. Look at the installation metadata or the 'about' section in the BAW administration interface.

Affected if The installed version falls within the affected range and matches what is specified for IBM Business Automation Workflow in the CVE advisory.
Confirm Web UI component is enabled

Verify that the Web UI component is deployed and accessible. Check the IBM Cloud Pak for Business Automation or BAW deployment configuration to confirm the Web UI pods are running. Access the application's login page to confirm the interface is exposed.

Affected if The Web UI is deployed and accessible to users.
Verify authentication is configured

Check that user authentication is enabled for the IBM Cloud Pak or BAW environment. Review the security configuration in the WebSphere or IBM Cloud Pak deployment to confirm users must log in to access the Web UI.

Affected if Users can authenticate to the Web UI, allowing the stored XSS to be injected through an authenticated session.
Inspect for suspicious script injections in Web UI fields

Review application logs and database entries for any stored XSS payloads in user-editable fields within the Web UI. Check forms, comments, or any input fields where user data is stored and displayed back to other users.

Affected if Malicious JavaScript code is found stored in any user-provided input fields within the application.

You are affected if your environment runs IBM Cloud Pak for Business Automation versions 24.0.0, 24.0.1, or 25.0.0 (or IBM Business Automation Workflow matching the affected range) with the Web UI enabled and accessible to authenticated users.

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

Remediation

dbcve · scoped

Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime

Mitigation

Apply the appropriate IBM interim fixes (25.0.0 IF001, 24.0.1 IF004, 24.0.0 IF006 or later), implement robust input validation and output encoding on user-supplied data, and enforce Content Security Policy headers to mitigate XSS execution.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Apply the appropriate IBM Interim Fix (IF006 for 24.0.0, IF004 for 24.0.1, IF001 for 25.0.0) or upgrade to a later stable release when available

1. Identify the currently deployed version of IBM Cloud Pak for Business Automation (24.0.0, 24.0.1, or 25.0.0)
2. Download the appropriate IBM Interim Fix from IBM Fix Central: for 24.0.0 apply IF006 or later, for 24.0.1 apply IF004 or later, for 25.0.0 apply IF001 or later
3. Review the IBM Cloud Pak for Business Automation installation documentation for patch application procedures
4. Back up the current system configuration and data before applying the patch
5. Apply the Interim Fix following IBM's standard ifix installation process
6. Verify the patch was applied successfully by checking the installed fix level
7. Test the application to confirm functionality remains intact after the update

Caveat IBM interim fixes are cumulative and should not introduce breaking changes; however, always test in a non-production environment first

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

Consultation6.0 h
Implementation12.0 h
Testing8.0 h
Review / QA4.0 h

30.0 hours of engineering $5,280

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Scan for this in your stack

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References

Primary sources

www.ibm.comVendor Advisory
nvd.nist.govNVD record

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-36172 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2025-36172?

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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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

At a glance

A fix existsA vendor remedy is published

Severity 5.4 Medium

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 0.2%

Affects: Cloud Pak For Business Automation

Remediation

Need this fixed?

Fix this in Cloud Pak For Business Automation 30 hrs · Moderate

Typical engagement from $5,280

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You’ll deal with our team directly and deploy the reviewed fix to staging first — never straight to production.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Check your environment

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.

Scan for this in your stack

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Practitioner notes

No notes yet

Official description

Technical summary

Affected products & versions

CVSS breakdown

Am I affected?

Remediation

References