VulnerabilityPublished 10 Mar 2026

CVE-2025-13213: IBM Aspera Orchestrator · Improper Neutralization of HTTP Headers for Scripting Syntax

Affects IBM Aspera OrchestratorSource CVE Database V5

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Not known to be exploited · CVSS 5.4 Medium.

Data as of 29 Oct 2026, 19:04 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

5.4Medium

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

EPSS: 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 7% 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:L/I:L/A:N

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

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: Low: There is some loss of confidentiality. Access to some restricted information is obtained, but the attacker does not have control over what information is obtained, or the amount or kind of loss is limited. The information disclosure does not cause a direct, serious loss to the impacted component.
Integrity: Low: Modification of data is possible, but the attacker does not have control over the consequence of a modification, or the amount of modification is limited. The data modification does not have a direct, serious impact on the impacted component.
Availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 10 Mar 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: 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 29 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.
Weaponized: A Metasploit exploit module or Exploit-DB entry exists (Metasploit scanner modules do not count), 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
IBMAspera Orchestrator	Affected >=3.0.0 <=4.1.2	Fixed in–

CPE configurations (2)

cpe:2.3:a:ibm:aspera_orchestrator:3.0.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:ibm:aspera_orchestrator:4.1.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

AI-suggested

Implement strict validation and sanitization of HTTP HOST headers at the application or web server level to reject malformed or suspicious inputs.
Deploy Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to detect and block HTTP header injection attempts targeting HOST headers.
Restrict network access to IBM Aspera Orchestrator interfaces to trusted internal networks or VPNs, minimizing exposure to untrusted sources.
Monitor HTTP traffic logs for unusual or anomalous HOST header values that could indicate exploitation attempts.
Apply network segmentation to isolate Aspera Orchestrator servers from general user networks and limit lateral movement.
Stay alert for IBM security advisories and apply official patches or updates promptly once released.
Educate administrators and users about the risks of XSS and session hijacking to recognize suspicious behavior.
Consider implementing Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to mitigate impact of potential XSS attacks.
Conduct regular security assessments and penetration tests focusing on HTTP header injection vectors.

Description

IBM Aspera Orchestrator 3.0.0 through 4.1.2 is vulnerable to HTTP header injection, caused by improper validation of input by the HOST headers. This could allow an attacker to conduct various attacks against the vulnerable system, including cross-site scripting, cache poisoning or session hijacking

Impact

The vulnerability can compromise the confidentiality and integrity of data and sessions managed by IBM Aspera Orchestrator. Successful exploitation could allow attackers to execute malicious scripts in users' browsers (XSS), leading to credential theft or unauthorized actions. Cache poisoning could mislead users or systems by serving malicious or stale content, potentially disrupting workflows or causing data corruption. Session hijacking could allow attackers to impersonate legitimate users, gaining unauthorized access to sensitive file transfer orchestration functions. Organizations relying on Aspera Orchestrator for critical data transfers, especially in sectors like finance, healthcare, media, and government, face risks of data breaches, operational disruption, and reputational damage. The medium severity rating indicates moderate risk, but the real-world impact depends on exposure level and existing security controls. Since no known exploits exist yet, proactive mitigation can prevent exploitation before attackers develop weaponized payloads.

CWE-644Improper Neutralization of HTTP Headers for Scripting Syntax (opens in a new tab)
Variant weaknessLikelihood of exploit: HighOWASP Top 10 A05:2025: Injection (opens in a new tab)
The product does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes web scripting syntax in HTTP headers that can be used by web browser components that can process raw headers, such as Flash.
Architecture and Design
Carefully control data that is being placed both in HTTP response headers and in the HTTP response body to ensure that no scripting syntax is present, taking various encodings into account.
Architecture and Design
Disable script execution functionality in the clients' browser.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Content Security Policy (opens in a new tab)
Injection Prevention (opens in a new tab)
SQL Injection Prevention (opens in a new tab)
Injection Prevention in Java (opens in a new tab)
Query Parameterization (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V14.4.6 (opens in a new tab)
V14.4.4 (opens in a new tab)
V14.4.2 (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

ibm.com/support/pages/node/7263083 (opens in a new tab)

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

CPE configurations (2)

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 10 Mar 2026, 20:46 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-644

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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