VulnerabilityPublished 8 Jul 2025Updated 24 Aug 2025

CVE-2025-2827: IBM Sterling File Gateway · Exposure of Information Through Directory Listing

Affects IBM Sterling File GatewaySource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 4.3 Medium.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 12:55 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

4.3Medium

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

EPSS: 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 17% 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:N/A:N

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: Low
Integrity: None
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: None: There is no loss of integrity within 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 8 Jul 2025
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
IBM Sterling File Gateway	Affected =6.0.0.0 =6.2.0.0 =6.0.0.0 <=6.1.2.6 >=6.2.0.0 <=6.2.0.4	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

European organizations should take the following specific actions: 1) Immediately review and restrict access controls on IBM Sterling File Gateway to ensure that only necessary users have authentication credentials, minimizing the number of accounts that could exploit this vulnerability. 2) Disable directory listing features or configure the application to prevent directory information disclosure to authenticated users unless explicitly required. 3) Monitor IBM security advisories for official patches or updates addressing CVE-2025-2827 and plan prompt deployment once available. 4) Conduct internal audits and penetration tests focusing on file gateway configurations to detect any unintended information disclosures. 5) Implement strong credential management policies, including multi-factor authentication and regular credential rotation, to reduce the risk of credential compromise. 6) Employ network segmentation and strict firewall rules to limit access to the file gateway from untrusted networks or users. 7) Log and monitor access to the file gateway for unusual directory access patterns that could indicate reconnaissance activity. These steps go beyond generic advice by focusing on configuration hardening, access minimization, and proactive monitoring tailored to the nature of this vulnerability.

Description

IBM Sterling File Gateway 6.0.0.0 through 6.1.2.6, and 6.2.0.0 through 6.2.0.4 could disclose sensitive installation directory information to an authenticated user that could be used in further attacks against the system.

Impact

For European organizations using IBM Sterling File Gateway, this vulnerability poses a moderate risk. Sterling File Gateway is often used in enterprise environments for secure file transfer and integration workflows, especially in sectors like finance, manufacturing, and logistics. Exposure of installation directory information can aid attackers in reconnaissance, enabling them to identify configuration files, scripts, or other sensitive components that could be exploited in subsequent attacks. While the vulnerability itself does not directly compromise data integrity or availability, it lowers the attacker's effort to escalate privileges or bypass security controls. This is particularly concerning for organizations handling sensitive or regulated data under GDPR, as any breach or unauthorized access could lead to compliance violations and reputational damage. The requirement for authenticated access somewhat limits the threat surface but does not eliminate risk, especially if credential compromise or insider threats exist. Additionally, the lack of known exploits currently provides a window for proactive mitigation before widespread exploitation occurs.

CWE-548Exposure of Information Through Directory Listing (opens in a new tab)
Variant weaknessOWASP Top 10 A01:2025: Broken Access Control (opens in a new tab)
The product inappropriately exposes a directory listing with an index of all the resources located inside of the directory.
Architecture and Design · System Configuration
Recommendations include restricting access to important directories or files by adopting a need to know requirement for both the document and server root, and turning off features such as Automatic Directory Listings that could expose private files and provide information that could be utilized by an attacker when…
OWASP Cheat Sheets
REST Assessment (opens in a new tab)
Error Handling (opens in a new tab)
Authorization (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V4.3.2 (opens in a new tab)
V8.3.4 (opens in a new tab)
V14.3.2 (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

ibm.com/support/pages/node/7239094 (opens in a new tab)

Community reviews

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 25 Aug 2025, 00:44 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-548

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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