CVE-2025-2950VulnerabilityPublished 18 Apr 2025Updated 28 Aug 2025

CVE-2025-2950: IBM · Improper Neutralization of HTTP Headers for Scripting Syntax

Affects IBMSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 5.4 Medium.

Data as of 25 Oct 2026, 19:02 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

5.4Medium

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

EPSS: 0.3% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 24% 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 18 Apr 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 2026-10-25.

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 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	Affected =7.3 =7.4 =7.5 =7.6	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

European organizations should implement the following specific mitigations: 1) Immediately review and restrict access to IBM Navigator for i interfaces, ensuring only trusted and necessary users have authenticated access. 2) Monitor HTTP request headers for unusual or unexpected Host header values to detect potential exploitation attempts. 3) Apply strict input validation and filtering on HTTP headers at the network perimeter or via web application firewalls (WAFs) to block manipulated Host headers before reaching the IBM Navigator for i. 4) Segment IBM i management interfaces from general network access to limit exposure. 5) Stay alert for official IBM patches or advisories addressing CVE-2025-2950 and apply them promptly once available. 6) Conduct internal audits and penetration tests focusing on header injection and related web interface vulnerabilities to identify and remediate weaknesses. 7) Educate system administrators about the risks of header manipulation and enforce strong authentication and session management practices to reduce the risk of privilege escalation.

Description

IBM i 7.3, 7.4, 7.5, and 7.5 is vulnerable to a host header injection attack caused by improper neutralization of HTTP header content by IBM Navigator for i. An authenticated user can manipulate the host header in HTTP requests to change domain/IP address which may lead to unexpected behavior.

Impact

For European organizations using IBM i systems with the affected versions, this vulnerability poses a risk primarily to the integrity and confidentiality of their web-based management interfaces. Manipulation of the Host header could allow attackers to redirect internal management traffic, potentially leading to phishing or session hijacking scenarios if combined with other vulnerabilities or misconfigurations. Organizations relying on IBM Navigator for i for critical system administration could face risks of unauthorized command execution or data leakage if attackers exploit this flaw to influence application behavior. Given that IBM i systems are often used in industries such as finance, manufacturing, and logistics across Europe, exploitation could disrupt business operations or compromise sensitive data. However, the requirement for authentication limits the threat to insiders or attackers who have already gained some level of access, reducing the likelihood of widespread external exploitation. Still, the vulnerability could be leveraged as part of a multi-stage attack chain within compromised networks, making it a significant concern for organizations with IBM i deployments in Europe.

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
Perform output validation in order to filter/escape/encode unsafe data that is being passed from the server in an HTTP response header.
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/7231320 (opens in a new tab)

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 28 Aug 2025, 17:02 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-644

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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