VulnerabilityPublished 18 Jul 2025Updated 18 Aug 2025

CVE-2025-33014: IBM Sterling B2B Integrator · Use of Web Link to Untrusted Target with window.opener Access

Affects IBM Sterling B2B IntegratorSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 5.4 Medium.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 14:05 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

5.4Medium

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

EPSS: 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 16% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: Required
Scope: Changed
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: Required: Successful exploitation of this vulnerability requires a user to take some action before the vulnerability can be exploited.
Scope: Changed: An exploited vulnerability can affect resources beyond the security scope managed by the security authority of the vulnerable component. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are different and managed by different security authorities.
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 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 B2B Integrator	Affected =6.0.0.0 =6.2.0.0	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

European organizations should implement the following specific mitigation strategies: 1) Immediately review and restrict the use of external web links within IBM Sterling B2B Integrator interfaces, ensuring that any links opening new windows use the 'rel="noopener noreferrer"' attribute to prevent window.opener access. 2) Apply strict Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to limit the domains that can be loaded or interacted with from the application. 3) Educate users and partners about the risks of clicking untrusted links and implement phishing awareness training tailored to this vulnerability. 4) Monitor and audit user interactions with external links in the application logs to detect suspicious activity. 5) Segregate and limit user privileges within the Sterling environment to minimize the impact if a user is compromised. 6) Stay alert for IBM’s official patches or updates addressing this vulnerability and plan timely deployment. 7) Consider deploying web application firewalls (WAF) with custom rules to detect and block exploitation attempts targeting this vulnerability. 8) Conduct regular security assessments and penetration testing focusing on web link handling and browser-based attack vectors within the Sterling B2B environment.

Description

IBM Sterling B2B Integrator and IBM Sterling File Gateway 6.0.0.0 through 6.1.2.7 and 6.2.0.0 through 6.2.0.4 uses a web link with untrusted references to an external site. A remote attacker could exploit this vulnerability to expose sensitive information or perform unauthorized actions on the victims’ web browser.

Impact

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-33014 can be considerable, especially for enterprises relying on IBM Sterling B2B Integrator for critical supply chain, logistics, or partner data exchanges. Exploitation could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive business information, including transactional data or partner credentials, potentially resulting in data breaches or disruption of business processes. Since the vulnerability exploits browser behavior, it could facilitate phishing or social engineering attacks targeting employees or partners, increasing the risk of lateral movement or further compromise. The partial loss of confidentiality and integrity could undermine trust in business communications and lead to regulatory compliance issues under GDPR if personal or sensitive data is exposed. Additionally, the changed scope of the vulnerability indicates that attackers might affect components beyond the initial application, potentially impacting integrated systems. The requirement for user interaction and some privileges reduces the likelihood of mass exploitation but does not eliminate targeted attacks against high-value European organizations.

CWE-1022Use of Web Link to Untrusted Target with window.opener Access (opens in a new tab)
Variant weaknessLikelihood of exploit: MediumOWASP Top 10 A06:2025: Insecure Design (opens in a new tab)
The web application produces links to untrusted external sites outside of its sphere of control, but it does not properly prevent the external site from modifying security-critical properties of the window.opener object, such as the location property.
Architecture and Design
Specify in the design that any linked external document must not be granted access to the location object of the calling page.
Implementation
When creating a link to an external document using the <a> tag with a defined target, for example "_blank" or a named frame, provide the rel attribute with a value "noopener noreferrer".
Implementation
Do not use "_blank" targets. However, this can affect the usability of the application.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Docker Security (opens in a new tab)
Third Party Javascript Management (opens in a new tab)
Virtual Patching (opens in a new tab)
Secure Design Principles (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V1.4.4 (opens in a new tab)
V1.4.5 (opens in a new tab)
V1.10.1 (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

ibm.com/support/pages/node/7240065 (opens in a new tab)

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 19 Aug 2025, 01:16 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-1022

Technical details

References

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