CVE-2025-14754: IBM Cloud Pak for Data Privilege Escalation

CVE-2025-14754 Overview

CVE-2025-14754 is a command injection vulnerability affecting IBM Cloud Pak for Data 5.1.2. The flaw stems from improper validation of user-supplied input, allowing an authenticated user to execute arbitrary commands with elevated privileges on the underlying system. The weakness maps to [CWE-78] (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command). Successful exploitation compromises confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected host. IBM has published a support advisory addressing this issue.

Critical Impact
Authenticated attackers can execute arbitrary operating system commands with elevated privileges on IBM Cloud Pak for Data 5.1.2, leading to full host compromise.

Affected Products

IBM Cloud Pak for Data 5.1.2

Discovery Timeline

2026-09-18 - CVE-2025-14754 published to NVD
2026-09-22 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-14754

Vulnerability Analysis

CVE-2025-14754 is a Command Injection vulnerability in IBM Cloud Pak for Data 5.1.2. The product accepts user-supplied input and passes it into an operating system command context without adequate sanitization. An authenticated attacker with low privileges can inject shell metacharacters or additional commands into a vulnerable request. The injected payload executes with elevated privileges on the host running the affected component.

The network attack surface and low privilege requirement broaden the pool of potential abusers, including compromised low-tier service accounts. Because Cloud Pak for Data orchestrates analytics, AI, and data services, a compromised node can expose datasets, credentials, and adjacent workloads inside the cluster.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper neutralization of special elements used in an OS command [CWE-78]. Input received from an authenticated user is concatenated into a command string or passed to a shell interpreter without escaping, quoting, or allowlist validation. This design gap allows the caller to break out of the intended command context and append arbitrary commands.

Attack Vector

Exploitation occurs over the network against an authenticated session. The attacker submits a crafted request to a vulnerable endpoint containing shell control characters such as ;, |, &&, or backticks. The server-side handler forwards the tainted value into a command execution routine, and the injected commands run under the service account, which holds elevated privileges on the host.

No public proof-of-concept, exploit code, or ExploitDB entry is available at the time of publication. The vulnerability is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Refer to the IBM Support Page for vendor-specific technical guidance.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-14754

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected child processes spawned by IBM Cloud Pak for Data service accounts, particularly shells such as /bin/sh, /bin/bash, or busybox.
Outbound network connections from Cloud Pak for Data pods or nodes to unfamiliar external hosts following authenticated API requests.
Presence of new users, cron entries, or SSH keys on nodes hosting Cloud Pak for Data components.
Application or audit log entries containing shell metacharacters such as ;, |, `, or $( inside user-supplied fields.

Detection Strategies

Alert on process lineage where Cloud Pak for Data Java or Python runtimes execute shell interpreters or system utilities such as curl, wget, nc, or chmod.
Inspect API gateway and reverse proxy logs for authenticated requests containing command injection payload patterns.
Correlate authentication events with subsequent privileged command execution on the same host within a short window.

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable and centrally forward Cloud Pak for Data audit logs, Kubernetes audit logs, and node-level process telemetry.
Baseline normal process trees for Cloud Pak for Data workloads and alert on deviations, especially unexpected shell or network tool invocations.
Monitor privileged service accounts for anomalous command execution outside of documented maintenance windows.

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-14754

Immediate Actions Required

Apply the fix documented in the IBM Support Page to all IBM Cloud Pak for Data 5.1.2 deployments.
Restrict network access to Cloud Pak for Data management interfaces to trusted administrative networks only.
Rotate credentials for accounts that could authenticate to the affected instance, particularly service and automation accounts.
Review authentication and audit logs for anomalous authenticated activity since the affected version was deployed.

Patch Information

IBM has published remediation guidance for CVE-2025-14754 on the vendor advisory at IBM Support Page. Administrators running IBM Cloud Pak for Data 5.1.2 should follow the vendor's upgrade or patch instructions and validate the fix in a staging environment prior to production rollout.

Workarounds

Limit account provisioning on Cloud Pak for Data so that only trusted users hold authenticated access until the patch is applied.
Enforce strong multi-factor authentication on all Cloud Pak for Data user and service accounts to raise the bar for the required authenticated foothold.
Place a web application firewall or API gateway in front of the platform and block requests containing shell metacharacters in unexpected fields.
Reduce the privileges of the service account running affected components where operationally feasible to limit blast radius.

bash

# Configuration example
# Refer to the IBM advisory for authoritative patch commands:
# https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7287142