CVE-2025-33111 is a vulnerability classified under CWE-379, which involves the creation of temporary files in directories with insecure permissions within IBM Controller software versions 11.1.0 through 11.1.1 and IBM Cognos Controller 11.0.0 through 11.0.1 FP6. The root cause is the lack of atomic operations when creating temporary files, which introduces a race condition. This race condition can be exploited by an authenticated user to access sensitive information that should otherwise be protected. Specifically, the vulnerability allows an attacker with legitimate access to the system to potentially read temporary files created by other processes or users, leading to confidentiality breaches. The CVSS v3.1 score is 4.3 (medium), reflecting that the attack vector is network-based with low complexity, requires privileges (authenticated user), and does not require user interaction. The scope is unchanged, and the impact is limited to confidentiality loss without affecting integrity or availability. No patches are currently linked, and no known exploits have been reported in the wild, indicating the vulnerability is not yet actively exploited but poses a risk if left unaddressed. The vulnerability is particularly relevant in environments where multiple users or processes share access to the same directories and temporary files, increasing the risk of information leakage through race conditions.

For European organizations, especially those in finance, manufacturing, and large enterprises relying on IBM Controller and Cognos Controller products, this vulnerability could lead to unauthorized disclosure of sensitive financial or operational data. Although the impact is limited to confidentiality and requires authenticated access, insider threats or compromised credentials could be leveraged to exploit this vulnerability. The exposure of temporary files could reveal sensitive business intelligence, financial reports, or configuration details, potentially aiding further attacks or corporate espionage. The medium severity rating suggests that while the vulnerability is not critical, it still represents a meaningful risk to data privacy and compliance with European data protection regulations such as GDPR. Organizations with multi-user environments or shared file systems are particularly at risk. The lack of known exploits reduces immediate urgency but does not eliminate the need for proactive mitigation.

Organizations should implement the following specific mitigations: 1) Restrict and audit access permissions on directories used for temporary file creation to ensure only authorized processes and users have write/read access. 2) Monitor and log file system activities related to temporary files to detect unusual access patterns indicative of exploitation attempts. 3) Apply the principle of least privilege to all users and service accounts interacting with IBM Controller software. 4) Segregate environments and use isolated temporary directories per user or process to reduce race condition risks. 5) Engage with IBM support to obtain patches or updates addressing this vulnerability as soon as they become available. 6) Conduct internal code reviews or configuration audits to verify that temporary file handling follows secure atomic operation practices. 7) Educate administrators and users about the risks of authenticated insider threats and enforce strong authentication mechanisms to reduce credential compromise. These steps go beyond generic advice by focusing on file system permissions, monitoring, and operational controls specific to the nature of this race condition vulnerability.