CVE-2025-2895 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting multiple versions of IBM Cloud Pak System (versions 2.3.3.6, 2.3.3.7, 2.3.4.0, and 2.3.4.1). The vulnerability is classified under CWE-80, which corresponds to improper neutralization of script-related HTML tags in a web page, commonly known as a basic Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) flaw. This vulnerability allows a remote attacker with low privileges (PR:L) and requiring user interaction (UI:R) to inject malicious HTML code into the web interface of the IBM Cloud Pak System. When a victim views the injected content, the malicious code executes within the security context of the hosting site, potentially compromising the confidentiality and integrity of the victim’s session and data. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 5.4, indicating a medium severity level, with an attack vector of network (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), and scope changed (S:C), meaning the vulnerability can affect resources beyond the initially vulnerable component. The vulnerability does not affect availability (A:N) but impacts confidentiality and integrity to a limited extent (C:L, I:L). No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no official patches or fixes have been linked yet. The vulnerability requires some level of authentication and user interaction, which somewhat limits the ease of exploitation but still poses a risk in environments where IBM Cloud Pak System is deployed and accessed by multiple users.

For European organizations using IBM Cloud Pak System, this vulnerability could lead to unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information or manipulation of data through the execution of malicious scripts in users’ browsers. Since IBM Cloud Pak System is used for hybrid cloud management and orchestration, exploitation could allow attackers to perform actions on behalf of legitimate users, potentially leading to privilege escalation or lateral movement within the cloud infrastructure. The impact is particularly significant for organizations handling sensitive or regulated data, such as financial institutions, healthcare providers, and government agencies, where confidentiality and data integrity are paramount. The requirement for user interaction and authentication reduces the risk somewhat but does not eliminate it, especially in large organizations with many users and complex access patterns. Additionally, the scope change in the CVSS vector suggests that the vulnerability could affect multiple components or services within the Cloud Pak System environment, increasing the potential attack surface. Given the widespread adoption of IBM Cloud Pak System across Europe in sectors emphasizing digital transformation and cloud adoption, the vulnerability could disrupt business operations and erode trust if exploited.

European organizations should implement the following specific mitigation steps: 1) Immediately review and restrict user privileges within IBM Cloud Pak System to the minimum necessary, reducing the number of users who can inject or view potentially malicious content. 2) Implement strict input validation and output encoding on all user-supplied data within the Cloud Pak System interface, if customization or extensions are used, to prevent injection of malicious HTML or scripts. 3) Monitor user activity and logs for unusual behavior indicative of attempted XSS exploitation, such as unexpected script execution or anomalous requests. 4) Educate users about the risks of interacting with untrusted content within the Cloud Pak System interface and encourage cautious behavior when clicking links or opening embedded content. 5) Stay in close contact with IBM for official patches or security advisories and plan for rapid deployment of fixes once available. 6) Consider deploying web application firewalls (WAFs) with rules tailored to detect and block XSS payloads targeting the Cloud Pak System’s web interface. 7) Conduct regular security assessments and penetration testing focused on the Cloud Pak System environment to identify and remediate any residual injection points. These targeted measures go beyond generic advice by focusing on user privilege management, monitoring, and proactive defense tailored to the affected product and vulnerability type.