CVE-2025-36140 is a vulnerability classified under CWE-770 (Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling) affecting IBM watsonx.data versions 2.2 through 2.2.1. The flaw arises from ingestion pods within the watsonx.data platform improperly managing resource allocation, allowing an authenticated user to consume excessive system resources without any enforced limits or throttling mechanisms. This can lead to a denial of service condition by exhausting critical resources such as CPU, memory, or network bandwidth, thereby degrading or halting the ingestion service and potentially impacting the overall availability of the data platform. The vulnerability requires the attacker to have valid authentication credentials but does not require additional user interaction or complex attack vectors, making it relatively straightforward to exploit once access is obtained. The CVSS v3.1 score of 6.5 reflects a medium severity, emphasizing the high impact on availability but no direct impact on confidentiality or integrity. No known exploits have been reported in the wild, and no official patches have been released yet, though IBM has reserved the CVE and published the advisory. This vulnerability highlights the importance of resource management controls in cloud-native data ingestion services, especially in environments handling large-scale or critical data workloads.

For European organizations, the primary impact of CVE-2025-36140 is the potential for denial of service attacks that disrupt data ingestion pipelines in IBM watsonx.data environments. This can lead to downtime or degraded performance of data analytics and AI workloads dependent on timely and reliable data ingestion. Organizations in sectors such as finance, healthcare, manufacturing, and public services that rely on watsonx.data for critical data processing could face operational disruptions, impacting decision-making and service delivery. Although the vulnerability does not compromise data confidentiality or integrity, the availability impact can cause significant business continuity challenges. Additionally, the requirement for authenticated access means insider threats or compromised credentials could be leveraged to exploit this vulnerability. The lack of current patches increases the risk window, necessitating proactive mitigation. Given IBM's strong presence in European enterprise IT, the threat is relevant to many organizations, especially those with large-scale data ingestion needs.

Organizations should immediately audit their IBM watsonx.data deployments to identify affected versions (2.2 through 2.2.1) and restrict access to ingestion pods to trusted, authenticated users only. Implement strict resource quotas and limits at the container orchestration level (e.g., Kubernetes resource limits) to prevent any single ingestion pod from consuming excessive CPU or memory resources. Monitor ingestion pod resource usage continuously with alerting for abnormal spikes that could indicate exploitation attempts. Employ network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure of ingestion services. Until IBM releases official patches, consider deploying temporary throttling mechanisms or rate limiting on ingestion requests. Review and enforce strong authentication and credential management policies to reduce the risk of credential compromise. Stay informed on IBM advisories for patch releases and apply updates promptly once available. Conduct regular penetration testing and vulnerability assessments focused on resource exhaustion scenarios.