CVE-2025-13734: IBM DOORS Next Auth Bypass Vulnerability

CVE-2025-13734 Overview

IBM Engineering Requirements Management DOORS Next versions 7.1 and 7.2 contain an authorization bypass vulnerability that allows authenticated users to view and edit data beyond their authorized access permissions. This broken access control flaw (CWE-862: Missing Authorization, CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization) enables horizontal privilege escalation where users can access resources belonging to other users or projects without proper authorization checks.

Critical Impact

Authenticated users can bypass authorization controls to view and modify sensitive requirements data, potentially compromising the integrity of engineering requirements across projects.

Affected Products

• IBM Engineering Requirements Management DOORS Next 7.1
• IBM Engineering Requirements Management DOORS Next 7.2

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-03-03 - CVE-2025-13734 published to NVD
• 2026-03-04 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-13734

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability stems from improper authorization checks within IBM Engineering Requirements Management DOORS Next. The application fails to properly validate that authenticated users have appropriate permissions before allowing access to resources. This represents a classic broken access control vulnerability where authentication is enforced but authorization is not consistently applied across all data access paths.

The weakness manifests as both missing authorization (CWE-862) and incorrect authorization (CWE-863), indicating that certain API endpoints or application functions do not adequately verify user permissions before processing requests. An attacker with valid low-privilege credentials can exploit this to access requirements, artifacts, and project data that should be restricted to other users or higher-privilege roles.

Root Cause

The root cause lies in insufficient authorization enforcement within the DOORS Next application. The software does not properly validate user permissions when accessing or modifying requirements management data. This allows authenticated users to bypass intended access restrictions by directly accessing resources through manipulated requests or by exploiting inconsistent permission checks across different application interfaces.

Attack Vector

The vulnerability is exploitable over the network by any authenticated user. An attacker would first obtain valid credentials (even with minimal privileges) to access the DOORS Next application. Once authenticated, the attacker can manipulate requests to access or modify data belonging to other users, projects, or organizational units. The attack requires low privileges and no user interaction, making it straightforward to exploit once authentication is achieved.

The exploitation path typically involves identifying API endpoints or application functions that lack proper authorization checks, then crafting requests to access resources outside the attacker's authorized scope. This could include viewing confidential requirements documents, modifying project artifacts, or accessing data from restricted projects.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-13734

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual data access patterns where users access resources outside their normal project scope
• API requests to requirements or artifact endpoints from users without appropriate project membership
• Audit logs showing data modifications by users who should not have write access to specific projects
• Cross-project data access from accounts with limited authorization profiles

Detection Strategies

• Enable comprehensive audit logging for all DOORS Next data access and modification operations
• Monitor for anomalous access patterns where users interact with projects or requirements outside their assigned scope
• Implement alerts for bulk data access operations that may indicate reconnaissance or data exfiltration
• Review access control configurations and compare actual user access against authorized permissions

Monitoring Recommendations

• Correlate DOORS Next access logs with user authorization profiles to identify unauthorized access attempts
• Establish baseline access patterns for users and alert on deviations that suggest privilege abuse
• Monitor for repeated access attempts to restricted resources from the same user accounts
• Integrate DOORS Next logs with SIEM solutions for centralized monitoring and correlation

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-13734

Immediate Actions Required

• Apply the security patch from IBM as referenced in IBM Support Page for Node 7261900
• Review and audit current user permissions to ensure proper access controls are configured
• Enable enhanced logging to detect any exploitation attempts during the patching window
• Restrict network access to DOORS Next to trusted networks until patches are applied

Patch Information

IBM has released a security update to address this vulnerability. Organizations should consult the IBM Support Page for Node 7261900 for specific patch details, download links, and installation instructions. It is recommended to apply the update to all affected versions (7.1 and 7.2) as soon as possible.

Workarounds

• Implement additional network-level access controls to limit who can authenticate to the DOORS Next application
• Conduct a thorough review of user permissions and remove unnecessary access privileges
• Enable and monitor audit logs for any suspicious access patterns while awaiting patch deployment
• Consider temporarily restricting write access for non-essential users until the patch is applied

# Review current user access permissions in DOORS Next
# Consult IBM documentation for specific administrative commands
# Enable verbose logging for access monitoring
# Example: Configure access restrictions at the network layer
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -s trusted_network_cidr -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -j DROP