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Transformation AdvisorApplication · Ibm

CVE-2025-36193

MEDIUM · 6.7 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-09-03
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 4.3.2 or later.
See remediation →
69/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 Transformation Advisor 2.0.1 through 4.3.1 incorrectly assigns privileges to security critical files which could allow a local root escalation inside a container running the IBM Transformation Advisor Operator Catalog image.

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 Transformation Advisor Operator Catalog image (versions 2.0.1-4.3.1) contains security critical files with incorrectly assigned permissions, allowing a local attacker with container access to escalate to root privileges by modifying or exploiting misconfigured files.

MitigationRebuild the container image with corrected file permissions on security-critical files, ensuring proper ownership (typically root:root with restrictive permissions like 600 or 644 for config files), and verify the fix does not reintroduce the vulnerability in future builds.

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
Transformation AdvisorApplication
Affected:>= 2.0.1, < 4.3.2

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/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 Transformation Advisor version
    Check the installed version of the IBM Transformation Advisor Operator Catalog image. This can be done by inspecting image labels or running 'ibm transformation advisor' version commands inside the container. If using Kubernetes/OCP, check the operator deployment or image stream metadata.
    Affected if The installed version is >= 2.0.1 and < 4.3.2 (or the exact version cannot be determined but the product is IBM Transformation Advisor within this range)
  2. Inspect security-critical file permissions in container
    Access the container and list permissions on critical system and configuration files. Look for files in /etc, /var, /opt, and configuration directories. Use 'ls -la' to check permissions on files that control system behavior, authentication, or privileged operations.
    Affected if Any security-critical files (such as config files, binaries, credentials stores, or files in /etc/passwd, /etc/shadow, /etc/sudoers directories) have overly permissive settings like world-writable (777), group-writable permissions, or unexpected ownership
  3. Verify file ownership on sensitive configuration
    Check ownership of files in /etc, /opt, and application configuration directories using 'ls -ln' or 'stat' commands. Compare against expected ownership (typically root:root for system files).
    Affected if Sensitive configuration files or binaries are owned by non-root users or have group ownership that allows unauthorized access
  4. Check for world-writable directories or files
    Search for world-writable files and directories within the container using commands like 'find / -perm -0002 -type f' or 'find / -perm -0002 -type d' to identify any files or directories with write permissions for everyone.
    Affected if Any world-writable files exist, particularly in system directories or locations that affect security boundaries

A user is affected if they are running IBM Transformation Advisor Operator Catalog image version 2.0.1 through 4.3.1 AND security-critical files within the container have overly permissive file permissions or unexpected ownership that could allow privilege escalation.

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 4.3.2 or later
Fixed in 4.3.2
Interim mitigation

Rebuild the container image with corrected file permissions on security-critical files, ensuring proper ownership (typically root:root with restrictive permissions like 600 or 644 for config files), and verify the fix does not reintroduce the vulnerability in future builds.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

4.3.2 or later

  1. Back up all current IBM Transformation Advisor configurations and data
  2. Obtain the updated IBM Transformation Advisor Operator Catalog container image version 4.3.2 or later
  3. Update the container image in your Kubernetes or OpenShift environment using your standard image update process
  4. Verify the new image has been successfully deployed
  5. Confirm file permissions on security-critical files have been corrected (verify no world-writable permissions on sensitive files)
  6. Test that IBM Transformation Advisor functions correctly after the upgrade

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

Fix this in Transformation Advisor Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,088.

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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-2025-36193 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