CVE-2025-1495 Overview
CVE-2025-1495 is an information disclosure vulnerability in IBM Business Automation Workflow. The flaw affects versions 24.0.0 and 24.0.1 through 24.0.1 IF001, including both traditional and container deployments. The issue stems from missing authorization validation, allowing authenticated users to access data they should not be able to read. IBM published an advisory documenting the exposure and the required remediation path.
Critical Impact
An authenticated attacker with low privileges can retrieve sensitive information from IBM Business Automation Workflow Center due to missing authorization checks [CWE-306].
Affected Products
- IBM Business Automation Workflow 24.0.0 (traditional)
- IBM Business Automation Workflow 24.0.1 (traditional and containers)
- IBM Business Automation Workflow 24.0.1 Interim Fix 001 (containers)
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-05-03 - CVE-2025-1495 published to the National Vulnerability Database (NVD)
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-1495
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability resides in IBM Business Automation Workflow Center, the design and administration environment for building automated workflows. The affected code paths process requests without verifying whether the caller holds the required authorization to view the requested resources. As a result, low-privileged authenticated users can retrieve data intended for higher-privileged roles.
The issue is classified under [CWE-306: Missing Authentication for a Critical Function]. In this instance, the missing check is an authorization gate on data-returning endpoints in the Center component. The exposure is limited to confidentiality; the vulnerability does not enable modification of data or disruption of service.
Root Cause
The root cause is missing authorization validation on one or more request handlers in IBM Business Automation Workflow Center. Authentication is required to reach the vulnerable functionality, but the server does not enforce role-based checks before returning resource data. IBM's advisory documents the affected versions and confirms the missing authorization pattern.
Attack Vector
An attacker needs valid low-privilege credentials to the target instance. The request is delivered over the network against the Business Automation Workflow Center interface. No user interaction is required, and the attack complexity is low. Successful exploitation returns information that should have been restricted by the application's authorization model.
No public proof-of-concept, exploit code, or exploitation activity has been reported. The vulnerability is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. The Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS) probability reported for this CVE is 0.247%.
See the IBM Support Article for the vendor's technical description and fix guidance.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-1495
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected read requests from low-privileged accounts against IBM Business Automation Workflow Center endpoints that return workflow, process, or configuration data.
- Access patterns where a single authenticated session enumerates resources across multiple projects or tenants that the account does not own.
- HTTP 200 responses to Center API calls that historically returned 401 or 403 for the same principal.
Detection Strategies
- Enable verbose access logging on Business Automation Workflow Center and forward logs to a centralized analytics platform for correlation of user, role, and resource fields.
- Baseline normal per-role access to Center resources, then alert on deviations such as low-privileged users retrieving administrative or cross-tenant objects.
- Review WebSphere and container ingress logs for high-volume enumeration against Center URIs following authentication events from atypical sources.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Track authentication events for Business Automation Workflow service accounts and low-privilege users, and correlate them with resource-access decisions.
- Monitor egress volume from Business Automation Workflow hosts for anomalous data transfer that may indicate bulk information disclosure.
- Validate that role-based access control (RBAC) audit records are being generated for all Center administrative endpoints after applying the vendor fix.
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-1495
Immediate Actions Required
- Inventory all IBM Business Automation Workflow 24.0.0 and 24.0.1 deployments, including traditional installations and container images at Interim Fix 001.
- Apply the fix referenced in the IBM Support Article to affected instances.
- Rotate credentials for accounts that may have been used to access Business Automation Workflow Center during the exposure window.
- Review authorization roles assigned in Business Automation Workflow Center and remove unnecessary access.
Patch Information
IBM has published remediation guidance for CVE-2025-1495 in the IBM Support Article. Administrators should follow the vendor's version-specific upgrade or interim fix instructions for both traditional and containerized deployments of IBM Business Automation Workflow 24.0.0 and 24.0.1.
Workarounds
- Restrict network access to Business Automation Workflow Center to trusted administrative networks and jump hosts until the vendor fix is applied.
- Enforce least-privilege role assignments and remove Center access from accounts that do not require it.
- Enable enhanced logging on Business Automation Workflow Center endpoints to support post-incident review if exploitation is suspected.
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.