CVE-2025-1994
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2025-1994 is a local privilege escalation vulnerability in IBM Cognos Command Center that allows authenticated local users to execute arbitrary code due to unsafe deserialization via BinaryFormatter. This affects IBM Cognos Command Center versions 10.2.4.1 and 10.2.5. The vulnerability requires local access to the system.
💻 Affected Systems
- IBM Cognos Command Center
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
A local attacker gains full system control, installs persistent malware, steals sensitive data, and pivots to other systems in the network.
Likely Case
A malicious insider or compromised local account executes code to elevate privileges, access restricted data, or disrupt operations.
If Mitigated
With strict access controls and monitoring, impact is limited to the compromised user's scope with minimal lateral movement.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires local access and knowledge of BinaryFormatter deserialization attacks. No public exploit code is currently available.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Apply interim fix or upgrade to a fixed version as specified in IBM advisory
Vendor Advisory: https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7242159
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Review IBM advisory at provided URL. 2. Download and apply the appropriate interim fix from IBM Fix Central. 3. Restart IBM Cognos Command Center services. 4. Verify the fix is applied successfully.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict Local Access
allLimit local user access to IBM Cognos Command Center systems to only necessary administrative personnel
Network Segmentation
allIsolate IBM Cognos Command Center systems from critical network segments to limit lateral movement
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict least privilege access controls for local users
- Deploy application control solutions to prevent execution of unauthorized binaries
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check IBM Cognos Command Center version via administrative console or configuration files. If version is 10.2.4.1 or 10.2.5, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
Check installation directory for version files or use IBM Cognos Command Center administrative interfaceVerify Fix Applied:
Verify version has been updated beyond vulnerable versions or check for applied interim fixes in IBM Fix Central history.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual process execution from IBM Cognos Command Center context
- BinaryFormatter deserialization errors in application logs
- Unexpected privilege escalation events
Network Indicators:
- Unusual outbound connections from IBM Cognos systems
- Lateral movement attempts from IBM Cognos hosts
SIEM Query:
source="cognos_logs" AND (event_type="deserialization_error" OR process_name="powershell.exe" OR process_name="cmd.exe")