CVE-2025-33076
📋 TL;DR
A local user can exploit a stack-based buffer overflow in IBM Engineering Systems Design Rhapsody to execute arbitrary code on the system. This affects versions 9.0.2, 10.0, and 10.0.1 of the software.
💻 Affected Systems
- IBM Engineering Systems Design Rhapsody
📦 What is this software?
Engineering Systems Design Rhapsody by Ibm
View all CVEs affecting Engineering Systems Design Rhapsody →
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Full system compromise with administrative privileges, allowing attacker to install malware, steal data, or pivot to other systems.
Likely Case
Local privilege escalation leading to unauthorized access to sensitive engineering data and system resources.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if proper access controls and least privilege principles are enforced.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires local user access and knowledge of buffer overflow exploitation techniques.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Apply interim fix or upgrade to version 10.0.2
Vendor Advisory: https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7240368
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Download the interim fix from IBM Support
2. Stop Rhapsody services
3. Apply the patch
4. Restart services
5. Verify successful installation
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict Local Access
allLimit local user access to systems running vulnerable Rhapsody versions
Apply Least Privilege
allEnsure users only have necessary permissions to reduce impact of exploitation
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Isolate affected systems from critical networks
- Implement strict access controls and monitoring for suspicious activity
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Rhapsody version via Help > About in the application or examine installation directory version filesCheck Version:
On Windows: Check registry at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\IBM\Rhapsody\Version. On Linux: Check /opt/IBM/Rhapsody/version.txtVerify Fix Applied:
Verify version is no longer 9.0.2, 10.0, or 10.0.1 and check for applied interim fixes📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual process creation from Rhapsody executables
- Access violations or buffer overflow errors in application logs
- Unexpected privilege escalation events
Network Indicators:
- Unusual outbound connections from Rhapsody systems
SIEM Query:
Process creation where parent_process contains 'rhapsody' AND (process contains 'cmd.exe' OR process contains 'powershell.exe' OR process contains 'bash')