CVE-2025-2697 is a high-severity security vulnerability classified as an Open Redirect (CWE-601) affecting IBM Cognos Command Center versions 10.2.4.1 and 10.2.5. This vulnerability allows a remote attacker to craft a malicious URL that appears to originate from a trusted IBM Cognos Command Center domain but redirects users to an untrusted, potentially malicious website. The attack exploits the application's failure to properly validate or sanitize URL redirect parameters, enabling an attacker to conduct phishing attacks by spoofing the URL displayed to the user. When a victim clicks on such a crafted link, they may be redirected to a malicious site designed to steal sensitive information, such as login credentials or other confidential data, or to deliver further attacks like malware installation or session hijacking. The CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.4 reflects the vulnerability's network attack vector (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), but requiring user interaction (UI:R). The scope is changed (S:C), indicating that the vulnerability affects resources beyond the initially vulnerable component. The impact is high on integrity (I:H) but does not affect confidentiality (C:N) or availability (A:N). No known exploits are reported in the wild yet, but the vulnerability's nature makes it a significant risk for phishing and social engineering campaigns leveraging trusted brand impersonation. The lack of available patches at the time of publication necessitates immediate mitigation efforts by affected organizations.

For European organizations using IBM Cognos Command Center versions 10.2.4.1 or 10.2.5, this vulnerability poses a significant risk of phishing attacks that could lead to credential theft, unauthorized access, and further compromise of internal systems. Given IBM Cognos Command Center's role in monitoring and managing business intelligence environments, successful exploitation could undermine data integrity and trust in reporting systems. Attackers could leverage the open redirect to bypass user suspicion by displaying legitimate URLs, increasing the likelihood of successful social engineering. This could result in financial losses, regulatory non-compliance (especially under GDPR due to potential data breaches), reputational damage, and operational disruption. The vulnerability's exploitation does not directly impact system availability but can facilitate attacks that compromise system integrity and user trust. European organizations with critical business intelligence infrastructure relying on IBM Cognos are particularly at risk, especially those in finance, healthcare, and government sectors where data integrity is paramount.

1. Immediate mitigation should include educating users about the risk of phishing and the importance of verifying URLs before clicking, especially those purporting to come from IBM Cognos Command Center. 2. Implement web filtering and email security solutions that detect and block suspicious URLs and phishing attempts leveraging open redirects. 3. Restrict access to IBM Cognos Command Center interfaces to trusted networks and users via VPN or IP whitelisting to reduce exposure. 4. Monitor logs for unusual redirect patterns or spikes in user redirection events that could indicate exploitation attempts. 5. IBM or third parties should prioritize developing and deploying patches or updates that properly validate redirect parameters to prevent open redirect abuse. 6. Organizations should consider deploying Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to detect and block open redirect attempts targeting the vulnerable parameters. 7. Conduct regular security awareness training emphasizing the risks of open redirects and phishing. 8. Review and harden URL handling and redirection logic in custom integrations with IBM Cognos Command Center if applicable.