CVE-2025-33110 is a vulnerability classified under CWE-80, indicating improper neutralization of script-related HTML tags, commonly known as a basic cross-site scripting (XSS) flaw. It affects IBM OpenPages versions 9.0 and 9.1, products used primarily for governance, risk, and compliance management in enterprise environments. The vulnerability allows a remote attacker with limited privileges (PR:L) to inject malicious HTML code into the application. 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 user sessions. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 5.4 (medium severity), reflecting network attack vector (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), required privileges (PR:L), required user interaction (UI:R), and a scope change (S:C) indicating that the vulnerability affects resources beyond the initially vulnerable component. The impact primarily affects confidentiality and integrity but not availability. No known exploits are currently in the wild, and no official patches have been released yet. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input sanitization and output encoding, allowing HTML injection that can be leveraged for phishing, session hijacking, or other malicious activities. Organizations using IBM OpenPages should review their input handling and apply compensating controls until a patch is available.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-33110 can be significant, especially for those relying on IBM OpenPages for critical governance, risk, and compliance functions. Successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information, session hijacking, or manipulation of displayed data, undermining trust in compliance reporting and risk management processes. This could result in regulatory non-compliance, reputational damage, and potential financial penalties under frameworks such as GDPR. Since the vulnerability requires some level of authentication and user interaction, insider threats or targeted phishing campaigns could increase risk. The scope change in the CVSS vector suggests that the attack could affect multiple components or users beyond the initially vulnerable module, amplifying potential damage. Given the strategic importance of risk management platforms in regulated industries like finance, healthcare, and energy, exploitation could disrupt critical business operations and decision-making processes.

1. Implement strict input validation and sanitization on all user-supplied data fields within IBM OpenPages to prevent injection of malicious HTML or script content. 2. Apply comprehensive output encoding (e.g., HTML entity encoding) before rendering user inputs in web pages to neutralize potentially harmful tags. 3. Enforce Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict the execution of unauthorized scripts and reduce the impact of XSS attacks. 4. Limit user privileges to the minimum necessary to reduce the risk posed by authenticated attackers. 5. Monitor application logs and user activity for unusual behavior indicative of exploitation attempts. 6. Educate users about phishing and social engineering risks that could facilitate exploitation requiring user interaction. 7. Engage with IBM support to track patch releases and apply updates promptly once available. 8. Consider deploying web application firewalls (WAFs) with rules tailored to detect and block XSS payloads targeting OpenPages. 9. Conduct regular security assessments and penetration testing focused on input validation and XSS vulnerabilities within the OpenPages environment.