CVE-2025-36005: IBM MQ Operator Information Disclosure Flaw

CVE-2025-36005 Overview

CVE-2025-36005 is an improper certificate validation flaw [CWE-295] in the IBM MQ Operator Internet Pass-Thru (MQIPT) component. The proxy fails to properly validate TLS certificates when establishing sessions to the same hostname and port. An authenticated attacker with low privileges can obtain sensitive information from another user's TLS session connection through the proxy.

The issue affects IBM MQ Operator LTS 2.0.0 through 2.0.29, MQ Operator CD 3.0.0 through 3.6.0, MQ Operator SC2 3.2.0 through 3.2.13, and numerous supplied MQ Advanced container images. IBM published a security bulletin describing the impact and remediation.

Critical Impact
An attacker who can direct traffic through MQIPT can intercept TLS session data from other proxy connections targeting the same hostname and port, resulting in disclosure of confidential message content.

Affected Products

IBM MQ Operator LTS 2.0.0 through 2.0.29
IBM MQ Operator CD 3.0.0, 3.0.1, 3.1.0 through 3.1.3, 3.3.0, 3.4.0, 3.4.1, 3.5.0, 3.5.1, 3.6.0
IBM MQ Operator SC2 3.2.0 through 3.2.13 and associated supplied MQ Advanced container images

Discovery Timeline

2025-07-24 - CVE-2025-36005 published to NVD
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-36005

Vulnerability Analysis

IBM MQ Internet Pass-Thru (MQIPT) is a proxy that enables MQ traffic to traverse firewalls and NAT boundaries by tunneling channel connections over TCP or HTTP, optionally protected with TLS. In vulnerable releases, MQIPT does not correctly bind a validated server certificate to a specific downstream connection when multiple TLS sessions target the same hostname and port.

As a result, session-scoped state can be reused or cross-associated between concurrent proxy connections. A malicious authenticated user routing traffic through MQIPT can observe TLS-protected data belonging to another session that terminates at the same destination endpoint. The weakness is classified under CWE-295: Improper Certificate Validation.

Exploitation impacts confidentiality only; integrity and availability are not affected. The EPSS score is 0.172%, reflecting a low observed exploitation probability at publication.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing or incomplete verification of the peer certificate's identity when MQIPT establishes outbound TLS sessions. Because the proxy does not correctly isolate certificate validation state per session to the same hostname and port, sensitive data from one session may be exposed to another authenticated user of the proxy.

Attack Vector

The attack requires network access to the MQIPT proxy and valid low-privilege credentials to establish a channel through it. The attacker initiates a TLS connection to a target hostname and port that another user is concurrently proxying to. The certificate validation defect allows the attacker to observe data from the concurrent TLS session. No user interaction is required.

No verified public exploit code is available for this issue. Refer to the IBM Support Documentation for authoritative technical detail.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-36005

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected concurrent outbound TLS connections from an MQIPT pod to the same hostname and port originating from different authenticated MQ clients.
MQIPT logs showing TLS session establishment with no corresponding certificate validation errors for peers with mismatched hostnames.
Anomalous message flow volumes on MQ channels routed through MQIPT that do not match expected client activity.

Detection Strategies

Inventory OpenShift and Kubernetes clusters for the IBM MQ Operator custom resource and compare deployed versions against the fixed release list in the IBM bulletin.
Enable MQIPT connection and TLS logging, then baseline expected client-to-route mappings so cross-tenant reuse of the same downstream endpoint can be identified.
Correlate MQ channel authentication events with MQIPT session logs to identify low-privileged users initiating unexpected TLS routes.

Monitoring Recommendations

Forward MQ Operator and MQIPT container logs to a centralized analytics platform and alert on TLS handshake anomalies and repeated connections to shared destinations.
Monitor Kubernetes admission and image events for deployment of unpatched MQ Advanced container image tags listed in the affected CPE set.
Track outbound TLS destinations from MQIPT pods and flag deviations from an approved allowlist of hostname and port pairs.

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-36005

Immediate Actions Required

Upgrade IBM MQ Operator and the underlying MQ Advanced container images to the fixed versions identified in the IBM Support Documentation.
Restrict which authenticated identities are permitted to route connections through MQIPT, and remove unused proxy routes.
Rotate credentials and TLS material for any MQ channels that traversed a vulnerable MQIPT instance during the exposure window.

Patch Information

IBM has published fixed levels of the MQ Operator (LTS, CD, and SC2 streams) and corresponding MQ Advanced container images. Consult the vendor bulletin at IBM Support Documentation for the specific fixed versions that map to each affected release train, and apply the upgrade through the operator's standard channel subscription.

Workarounds

Where upgrade is not immediately possible, disable MQIPT routes that terminate multiple tenants at the same hostname and port.
Segment MQIPT deployments so each proxy instance serves a single trust boundary, reducing cross-session exposure.
Enforce network policies in Kubernetes to limit which clients can reach the MQIPT service and to constrain its outbound destinations.

bash

# Example: identify installed IBM MQ Operator versions and pods across a cluster
kubectl get csv -A | grep -i ibm-mq
kubectl get pods -A -l app.kubernetes.io/name=ibm-mq -o wide
kubectl get queuemanager -A -o jsonpath='{range .items[*]}{.metadata.namespace}{"/"}{.metadata.name}{" version="}{.spec.version}{"\n"}{end}'