CVE-2025-2697: IBM Cognos Command Center Open Redirect

CVE-2025-2697 Overview

CVE-2025-2697 is an open redirect vulnerability affecting IBM Cognos Command Center versions 10.2.4.1 and 10.2.5. This vulnerability enables remote attackers to conduct phishing attacks by exploiting improper URL validation within the application. By persuading a victim to visit a specially crafted web site, an attacker can spoof the URL displayed and redirect users to malicious websites that appear to be trusted, potentially leading to credential theft and further attacks.

Critical Impact

Attackers can exploit this open redirect vulnerability to conduct sophisticated phishing campaigns, redirect users to credential-harvesting sites, and obtain highly sensitive information while leveraging trust in IBM Cognos Command Center URLs.

Affected Products

• IBM Cognos Command Center 10.2.4.1
• IBM Cognos Command Center 10.2.5

Discovery Timeline

• August 26, 2025 - CVE-2025-2697 published to NVD
• September 2, 2025 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-2697

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-601 (URL Redirection to Untrusted Site), commonly known as an open redirect vulnerability. The flaw exists in how IBM Cognos Command Center handles URL redirection parameters without proper validation.

Open redirect vulnerabilities occur when an application accepts user-controlled input that specifies a link to an external site and uses that link to redirect the user. Attackers can abuse this functionality to redirect victims from a legitimate, trusted domain to a malicious site, effectively weaponizing the application's reputation and trust.

The network-based attack vector with low complexity makes this vulnerability particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where IBM Cognos Command Center is used for business intelligence and reporting operations. Successful exploitation can result in significant confidentiality and integrity impacts as attackers may harvest credentials or inject malicious content through the trusted domain context.

Root Cause

The vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of redirect URL parameters within IBM Cognos Command Center. The application fails to properly verify that destination URLs belong to trusted domains before performing redirections. This allows attackers to craft URLs that pass through the legitimate IBM Cognos Command Center domain but redirect users to attacker-controlled external sites.

Attack Vector

The attack leverages social engineering combined with the technical open redirect flaw. An attacker constructs a malicious URL using the IBM Cognos Command Center's redirect functionality, embedding an external destination within the URL parameters. The URL originates from the legitimate IBM Cognos Command Center domain, making it appear trustworthy to users and potentially bypassing email security filters or URL reputation checks.

When a victim clicks the crafted link, they initially connect to the legitimate IBM Cognos Command Center server, which then redirects them to the attacker-controlled site. The victim may believe they are still interacting with a trusted IBM resource, making them susceptible to credential theft, malware delivery, or other social engineering attacks.

The attack flow typically involves:

1. Attacker identifies the vulnerable redirect parameter in IBM Cognos Command Center
2. Attacker crafts a URL pointing to the legitimate application but containing a malicious redirect destination
3. Attacker distributes the crafted URL via phishing emails or other social engineering methods
4. Victim clicks the link, trusting the IBM domain
5. The application redirects the victim to the attacker-controlled malicious site
6. Attacker harvests credentials or delivers malware through the spoofed site

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-2697

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual redirect URLs in IBM Cognos Command Center access logs containing external domains
• User reports of unexpected redirections after clicking IBM Cognos Command Center links
• Phishing emails containing IBM Cognos Command Center URLs with suspicious query parameters
• Authentication failures following clicks on IBM Cognos-related URLs in email campaigns

Detection Strategies

• Monitor web server access logs for requests containing redirect parameters pointing to external or untrusted domains
• Implement URL filtering and analysis on outbound traffic from IBM Cognos Command Center servers
• Deploy email gateway rules to flag messages containing IBM Cognos Command Center URLs with suspicious redirect parameters
• Correlate authentication logs with redirect events to identify potential credential theft attempts

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable verbose logging on IBM Cognos Command Center web servers to capture full URL parameters
• Configure SIEM alerts for outbound redirects from IBM Cognos Command Center to non-corporate domains
• Implement user behavior analytics to detect anomalous activity following URL clicks
• Review web proxy logs for IBM Cognos Command Center traffic patterns indicating redirect abuse

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-2697

Immediate Actions Required

• Apply the security patch from IBM as documented in IBM Security Advisory
• Implement URL allowlisting to restrict redirect destinations to trusted domains only
• Deploy web application firewall rules to inspect and block malicious redirect parameters
• Educate users about phishing risks and the importance of verifying URLs before entering credentials

Patch Information

IBM has released security updates to address this vulnerability. Organizations running IBM Cognos Command Center versions 10.2.4.1 and 10.2.5 should immediately apply the patches available through the IBM Support Portal. Review the advisory for specific patch versions and installation instructions.

Workarounds

• Configure reverse proxy or web application firewall rules to validate redirect parameters before allowing requests
• Implement allowlist-based redirect validation at the network edge if application-level patching is delayed
• Temporarily disable or restrict access to redirect functionality if business operations permit
• Enforce multi-factor authentication to reduce impact of credential theft from successful phishing attacks