CVE-2025-36104VulnerabilityPublished 12 Jul 2025Updated 18 Aug 2025

CVE-2025-36104: IBM Storage Scale · Insecure Inherited Permissions

Affects IBM Storage ScaleSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 6.5 Medium.

Data as of 25 Oct 2026, 19:02 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

6.5Medium

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

EPSS: 0.3% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 23% 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:H/I:N/A:N

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: None
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: High: There is total loss of confidentiality, resulting in all resources within the impacted component being divulged to the attacker. Alternatively, access to only some restricted information is obtained, but the disclosed information presents a direct, serious impact.
Integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within 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 12 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 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 Storage Scale	Affected =5.2.3.0 =5.2.3.1	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

European organizations should immediately audit their IBM Storage Scale deployments to identify if versions 5.2.3.0 or 5.2.3.1 are in use. Until an official patch is released, administrators should review and tighten SMB share permissions and inheritance settings to ensure that only authorized users have access to sensitive files. This includes explicitly setting restrictive ACLs (Access Control Lists) on shares and directories, disabling unnecessary SMB shares, and monitoring SMB access logs for unusual activity. Network segmentation should be employed to limit SMB traffic to trusted segments and reduce exposure. Implementing strong authentication mechanisms and enforcing least privilege principles for users accessing storage resources will also reduce risk. Organizations should subscribe to IBM security advisories for updates and apply patches promptly once available. Additionally, consider deploying Data Loss Prevention (DLP) tools to detect unauthorized data access or exfiltration attempts related to this vulnerability.

Description

IBM Storage Scale 5.2.3.0 and 5.2.3.1 could allow an authenticated user to obtain sensitive information from files due to the insecure permissions inherited through the SMB protocol.

Impact

For European organizations using IBM Storage Scale 5.2.3.0 or 5.2.3.1, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to data confidentiality. Since IBM Storage Scale is used for scalable storage solutions, often in enterprise environments handling large volumes of critical data, unauthorized access to sensitive files could lead to data breaches, regulatory non-compliance (e.g., GDPR violations), and loss of customer trust. The requirement for authenticated access limits the attack surface to internal or trusted users, but insider threats or compromised credentials could be leveraged to exploit this vulnerability. The lack of impact on integrity and availability reduces the risk of data tampering or service disruption, but the exposure of confidential information alone can have severe legal and financial consequences. Organizations in sectors such as finance, healthcare, and government, where data sensitivity is paramount, are particularly at risk. Additionally, the SMB protocol is commonly used in Windows environments, so mixed OS environments could be affected if IBM Storage Scale is integrated with Windows clients or servers.

CWE-277Insecure Inherited Permissions (opens in a new tab)
Variant weakness
A product defines a set of insecure permissions that are inherited by objects that are created by the program.
Architecture and Design · Operation
Very carefully manage the setting, management, and handling of privileges. Explicitly manage trust zones in the software.
Architecture and Design · Separation of Privilege
Compartmentalize the system to have "safe" areas where trust boundaries can be unambiguously drawn. Do not allow sensitive data to go outside of the trust boundary and always be careful when interfacing with a compartment outside of the safe area.
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V8.3.8 (opens in a new tab)
V13.4.2 (opens in a new tab)
V7.2.2 (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

ibm.com/support/pages/node/7239562 (opens in a new tab)

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 19 Aug 2025, 01:18 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-277

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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