CVE-2025-14974: 
IBM InfoSphere Information Server vulnerability analysis and mitigation

CVE-2025-14974 is an Insecure Direct Object Reference (IDOR) vulnerability in IBM InfoSphere Information Server versions 11.7.0.0 through 11.7.1.6. It allows attackers to bypass authorization controls via user-controlled keys, potentially exposing sensitive data. The vulnerability was published on March 25, 2026, with a patch made available by IBM. It carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (High) per NVD, though ENISA's EUVD rates it at 5.7 (Medium) using an adjacent-network attack vector (IBM Advisory, Red Hat CVE).

The root cause is classified as CWE-639 (Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key), a form of IDOR where the application uses attacker-controllable identifiers to reference objects without adequate server-side authorization checks. An unauthenticated or low-privileged attacker can manipulate object references in network requests to access resources belonging to other users or privileged contexts. No public proof-of-concept or detailed technical write-up has been identified at this time (IBM Advisory, Red Hat CVE).

Successful exploitation results in unauthorized disclosure of sensitive or confidential information stored within IBM InfoSphere Information Server, with a HIGH confidentiality impact. There is no integrity or availability impact associated with this vulnerability. The scope is limited to the affected system, but exposure of data managed by an enterprise data integration platform could be significant, potentially including metadata, data lineage records, or configuration details (IBM Advisory).

There is no known public proof-of-concept exploit and no evidence of active in-the-wild exploitation at this time. The EPSS score is approximately 0.015% (0.000150), indicating a very low probability of exploitation in the near term. The vulnerability is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog. No threat actor attribution has been reported (Red Hat CVE, IBM Advisory).

IBM has released a patch addressing this vulnerability, available via the IBM support portal. Organizations running IBM InfoSphere Information Server versions 11.7.0.0 through 11.7.1.6 should apply the patch immediately. As interim measures, restrict network access to the application to trusted systems only, implement strong access controls, and monitor for anomalous access patterns from authenticated users (IBM Advisory).