CVE-2025-2947: IBM i Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

CVE-2025-2947 Overview

CVE-2025-2947 is a privilege escalation vulnerability affecting IBM i 7.6. The vulnerability exists due to incorrect profile swapping in an OS command, allowing a malicious actor to elevate privileges and gain root access to the host operating system. This flaw is classified under CWE-278 (Insecure Preserved Inherited Permissions), indicating improper handling of privilege transitions during system command execution.

Critical Impact

A remote attacker with no prior authentication can exploit this vulnerability to achieve complete system compromise, gaining root-level access to the IBM i operating system with full control over confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the system.

Affected Products

• IBM i 7.6
• IBM i (all configurations running version 7.6)

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-04-17 - CVE-2025-2947 published to NVD
• 2025-07-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-2947

Vulnerability Analysis

This privilege escalation vulnerability stems from a flaw in how IBM i 7.6 handles profile swapping during the execution of certain OS commands. When the vulnerable command is invoked, the system fails to properly validate and restrict the profile swap operation, creating an opportunity for privilege elevation. The vulnerability is remotely exploitable over the network without requiring any user interaction or prior authentication, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where IBM i systems often handle critical business operations.

The impact is severe as successful exploitation grants the attacker root-level access to the host operating system, effectively bypassing all access controls and security mechanisms on the affected system.

Root Cause

The root cause is tied to CWE-278 (Insecure Preserved Inherited Permissions). The vulnerable OS command in IBM i 7.6 does not properly manage profile swapping operations, allowing inherited permissions to be preserved incorrectly. This enables an attacker to manipulate the command execution flow to assume elevated privileges that should not be accessible during normal operation.

Attack Vector

The attack can be executed remotely over the network. An attacker does not need valid credentials or any form of authentication to exploit this vulnerability. The attack requires no user interaction, meaning it can be carried out autonomously once network access to the vulnerable IBM i system is obtained.

The vulnerability manifests during OS command execution where profile swapping is performed incorrectly. For technical details regarding the specific command and exploitation mechanics, refer to the IBM Security Advisory.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-2947

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected profile swap operations or privilege elevation events in system audit logs
• Unusual OS command execution patterns, particularly commands that involve profile switching
• Anomalous root-level access from network-connected sessions
• Unauthorized changes to system configurations or files requiring elevated privileges

Detection Strategies

• Monitor IBM i audit journals (QAUDJRN) for unusual authority changes and profile swap events
• Implement network-level monitoring for suspicious connections to IBM i systems from unauthorized sources
• Review exit point programs and system command logs for unexpected privilege elevation patterns
• Deploy SentinelOne Singularity Platform to detect and alert on privilege escalation attempts in real-time

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable comprehensive auditing on IBM i systems with focus on security-relevant events (authority failures, profile changes)
• Configure alerts for any unexpected root-level command execution or profile swapping activities
• Establish baselines for normal user activity and monitor for deviations indicative of privilege escalation
• Regularly review system access logs and network connections to IBM i environments

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-2947

Immediate Actions Required

• Apply the security patch from IBM immediately for all IBM i 7.6 systems
• Restrict network access to IBM i systems to only trusted networks and authorized users
• Implement network segmentation to isolate IBM i systems from general network traffic
• Review and audit current user profiles and access permissions on affected systems

Patch Information

IBM has released a security update to address this vulnerability. Administrators should apply the patch documented in the IBM Support Page immediately. The patch corrects the improper profile swapping behavior during OS command execution, ensuring proper privilege management and preventing unauthorized elevation.

Workarounds

• Implement strict network access controls using firewalls to limit connectivity to IBM i systems
• Disable or restrict access to non-essential commands that may be affected by the profile swapping vulnerability
• Enable enhanced audit logging to detect any exploitation attempts while awaiting patch deployment
• Consider implementing additional authentication layers for administrative access to IBM i systems

# Example: Restrict network access to IBM i system (firewall rule concept)
# Limit SSH/Telnet access to trusted management networks only
# Consult IBM documentation and your firewall vendor for specific implementation
# iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 23 -s <trusted_network> -j ACCEPT
# iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 23 -j DROP