CVE-2025-1994 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting IBM Cognos Command Center versions 10.2.4.1 and 10.2.5. The root cause is the unsafe use of the BinaryFormatter function, which is known to be inherently dangerous when deserializing untrusted data. This vulnerability is classified under CWE-242, indicating the use of inherently dangerous functions without proper safeguards. The BinaryFormatter class in .NET frameworks can lead to remote or local code execution if an attacker can control the serialized input, as it allows deserialization of arbitrary objects. In this case, the vulnerability allows a local user with limited privileges (low attack complexity, low privileges required, no user interaction) to execute arbitrary code on the affected system. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 7.8, reflecting high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability, with local attack vector and privileges required. The vulnerability does not require user interaction and affects the system's security posture by enabling privilege escalation or lateral movement through code execution. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no patches or mitigations are linked yet, indicating that organizations using these specific IBM Cognos versions should prioritize risk assessment and mitigation planning. IBM Cognos Command Center is a business intelligence and analytics platform widely used in enterprise environments for monitoring and managing reports and data workflows, making this vulnerability particularly critical in environments where sensitive business data is processed.

For European organizations, the impact of this vulnerability can be significant due to the widespread use of IBM Cognos in sectors such as finance, manufacturing, government, and telecommunications. Successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized code execution, potentially allowing attackers to access sensitive business intelligence data, manipulate reports, disrupt analytics workflows, or gain footholds for further network compromise. Given the local attack vector, insider threats or compromised user accounts could leverage this vulnerability to escalate privileges or move laterally within corporate networks. The high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impacts mean that data breaches, operational disruptions, and compliance violations (e.g., GDPR) are plausible consequences. Organizations relying on IBM Cognos Command Center for critical decision-making processes may face operational downtime or data integrity issues, affecting business continuity and regulatory compliance. The absence of known exploits in the wild provides a window for proactive mitigation, but the high severity score necessitates urgent attention to prevent potential exploitation.

1. Immediate mitigation should include restricting local access to IBM Cognos Command Center servers to trusted administrators only, minimizing the risk of local exploitation. 2. Implement strict access controls and monitoring to detect unusual local user activities that might indicate exploitation attempts. 3. Disable or restrict the use of BinaryFormatter deserialization where possible, or apply application-level input validation and sanitization to prevent unsafe deserialization of untrusted data. 4. Monitor IBM’s security advisories closely for official patches or updates addressing this vulnerability and apply them promptly once available. 5. Conduct internal audits to identify all instances of affected IBM Cognos versions and plan for upgrades or patches. 6. Employ endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to detect anomalous process executions or privilege escalations on affected systems. 7. Educate system administrators and users about the risks of local privilege escalation vulnerabilities and enforce the principle of least privilege to limit potential damage. 8. Consider network segmentation to isolate IBM Cognos servers from less trusted network zones to reduce attack surface.