VulnerabilityPublished 2 Feb 2026

CVE-2025-13096: IBM Business Automation Workflow containers · Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF)

Affects IBM Business Automation Workflow containersSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.1 High.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 11:42 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

7.1High

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.5% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 43% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:L

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: None
Availability: Low

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: Low: The attacker is authorized with (i.e., requires) privileges that provide basic user capabilities that could normally affect only settings and files owned by a user. Alternatively, an attacker with Low privileges may have the ability to cause an impact only to non-sensitive resources.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: High: There is total loss of confidentiality, resulting in all resources within the impacted component being divulged to the attacker. Alternatively, access to only some restricted information is obtained, but the disclosed information presents a direct, serious impact.
Integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the impacted component.
Availability: Low: Performance is reduced or there are interruptions in resource availability. Even if repeated exploitation of the vulnerability is possible, the attacker does not have the ability to completely deny service to legitimate users. The resources in the impacted component are either partially available all of the time, or fully available only some of the time, but overall there is no direct, serious consequence to the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 2 Feb 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
IBMBusiness Automation Workflow containers	Affected >=25.0.0 <=25.0.0-IF002 >=24.0.1 <=24.0.1-IF005 >=24.0.0 <=24.0.0-IF007	Fixed in–
IBMBusiness Automation Workflow traditional	Affected =25.0.0 =24.0.1 =24.0.0	Fixed in–

CPE configurations (9)

cpe:2.3:a:ibm:business_automation_workflow:24.0.0:*:*:*:containers:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:ibm:business_automation_workflow:24.0.0:if008:*:*:containers:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:ibm:business_automation_workflow:24.0.1:*:*:*:containers:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:ibm:business_automation_workflow:24.0.1:if006:*:*:containers:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:ibm:business_automation_workflow:25.0.0:*:*:*:containers:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:ibm:business_automation_workflow:25.0.0:if003:*:*:containers:*:*:*

AI-suggested

Until official patches are released by IBM, European organizations should implement several targeted mitigations: 1) Restrict network access to IBM Business Automation Workflow containers by enforcing strict firewall rules and network segmentation, limiting exposure to trusted internal networks only. 2) Employ input validation and XML parsing hardening techniques to disable or restrict external entity processing in XML parsers used by the workflow containers, if configurable. 3) Monitor network traffic and application logs for unusual outbound requests or memory usage spikes indicative of SSRF or resource exhaustion attempts. 4) Apply the principle of least privilege to user accounts interacting with the workflow containers to minimize the attack surface. 5) Prepare for rapid deployment of IBM patches by maintaining up-to-date asset inventories and testing patch application procedures. 6) Consider deploying Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) or runtime application self-protection (RASP) solutions capable of detecting and blocking SSRF and XXE attack patterns. 7) Conduct security awareness training for administrators and developers on the risks of XXE and SSRF vulnerabilities.

Description

CVE-2025-13096 is a high-severity Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) vulnerability affecting IBM Business Automation Workflow containers versions 24.0.0 through 25.0.0. The flaw arises from XML External Entity (XXE) injection during XML data processing, allowing remote attackers with limited privileges to access sensitive information or cause memory resource exhaustion. Exploitation requires network access and low privileges but no user interaction. While no known exploits are reported in the wild, the vulnerability poses a significant risk to confidentiality and system stability. European organizations using affected IBM workflow containers should prioritize patching once available and implement network segmentation and input validation to mitigate risk. Countries with strong IBM enterprise adoption and critical automation infrastructure, such as Germany, France, and the UK, are most likely impacted.

Impact

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-13096 can be substantial, particularly for enterprises relying on IBM Business Automation Workflow containers for critical business processes and automation. Successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized disclosure of sensitive internal information, potentially including configuration files, credentials, or business data, undermining confidentiality. Memory exhaustion attacks could degrade system performance or cause service outages, impacting availability and business continuity. Given the integration of these workflow containers in automation pipelines, disruptions could cascade into operational delays or failures. The vulnerability's exploitation requires only low privileges and network access, increasing the risk in multi-tenant or cloud environments common in Europe. Organizations in regulated sectors such as finance, healthcare, and manufacturing could face compliance and reputational risks if sensitive data is exposed or services disrupted.

Summary

CVE-2025-13096 is a Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) vulnerability categorized under CWE-918, found in IBM Business Automation Workflow containers versions 24.0.0 through 25.0.0, including their interim fixes up to IF007. The vulnerability stems from improper handling of XML input, specifically an XML External Entity (XXE) injection flaw. When processing crafted XML data, the affected software can be tricked into making unauthorized requests or accessing internal resources, potentially exposing sensitive information such as internal files or metadata. Additionally, the flaw can be leveraged to consume excessive memory resources, leading to denial-of-service conditions. The vulnerability requires the attacker to have network access and low privileges (PR:L) but does not require user interaction (UI:N). The CVSS v3.1 base score is 7.1, reflecting high severity due to the potential for confidentiality breaches and partial availability impact. No public exploits are currently known, but the vulnerability is published and should be considered a significant risk in environments running the affected IBM Business Automation Workflow containers. The lack of available patches at the time of disclosure necessitates proactive mitigation strategies.

CWE-918Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessCWE Top 25 (2025): #22OWASP Top 10 A01:2025: Broken Access Control (opens in a new tab)
The web server receives a URL or similar request from an upstream component and retrieves the contents of this URL, but it does not sufficiently ensure that the request is being sent to the expected destination.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Server Side Request Forgery Prevention (opens in a new tab)
Unvalidated Redirects and Forwards (opens in a new tab)
Cross Site Scripting Prevention (opens in a new tab)
DOM based XSS Prevention (opens in a new tab)
Authorization (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V12.6.1 (opens in a new tab)
V5.2.6 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Server Side Request Forgery (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

ibm.com/support/pages/node/7259321 (opens in a new tab)

Community reviews

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

CPE configurations (9)

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 10 Feb 2026, 11:04 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-918

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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