CVE-2025-36221
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 Cloud Pak for Data System - Cyclops 11.3.0.2 through Interim Fix 002 IBM Cloud Pak for Data System uses default passwords default passwords from the manufacturing process for use during the installation process, which could allow an attacker to bypass authentication.
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 Cloud Pak for Data System Cyclops versions 11.3.0.2 through Interim Fix 002 contain hardcoded default passwords originating from the manufacturing process. These credentials are used during the installation process and remain active, enabling unauthenticated attackers to bypass authentication mechanisms and gain unauthorized access to the system.
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< 11.3.0.2= 11.3.0.2CVSS 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
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
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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Identify the installed version of IBM Cloud Pak for Data SystemAccess the system administration console or use the system management interface to view the current version and Interim Fix levelAffected if The installed version is 11.3.0.2 or any version prior to 11.3.0.2, or the Interim Fix level is 002 or earlier
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Determine the Interim Fix levelCheck the system documentation or administration panel for the specific Interim Fix number applied to the installationAffected if The Interim Fix level is 002 or earlier, indicating the hardcoded default passwords may still be present
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Verify if default manufacturing passwords have been changedReview the system configuration and password settings to confirm whether the default credentials from the manufacturing process have been replaced with custom passwordsAffected if The system still uses the default passwords that were set during manufacturing, or if you are unable to confirm whether passwords were changed from defaults
You are affected if your IBM Cloud Pak for Data System version is 11.3.0.2 or earlier, or if your Interim Fix level is 002 or earlier and the default manufacturing passwords have not been changed.
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.
From vendor data11.3.0.2
Immediately change all default passwords from the manufacturing process to strong, unique credentials following IBM's published password change procedures. Verify that default credentials are no longer valid and implement a credential management policy to prevent reuse of default passwords.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,168.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-36221 — 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-2025-36221 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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- 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
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