CVE-2025-36143 is a vulnerability identified in IBM watsonx.data version 2.2, part of the IBM Lakehouse platform. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-78, which pertains to improper neutralization of special elements used in OS commands, commonly known as OS Command Injection. This flaw allows an authenticated privileged user to execute arbitrary operating system commands on the underlying system. The root cause is insufficient validation or sanitization of user-supplied input before it is incorporated into OS-level commands. Because the vulnerability requires privileged authentication, it is not exploitable by unauthenticated attackers, but once an attacker gains privileged access, they can leverage this flaw to escalate their control by executing arbitrary commands. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 4.7 (medium severity), reflecting the fact that the attack vector is network-based (AV:N), with low attack complexity (AC:L), but requires high privileges (PR:H) and no user interaction (UI:N). The impact affects confidentiality, integrity, and availability to a limited extent (C:L, I:L, A:L). No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no patches are linked yet, indicating that remediation may still be pending or in progress. The vulnerability is significant because IBM watsonx.data is a data lakehouse solution used for large-scale data management and analytics, and arbitrary command execution could lead to data compromise, service disruption, or lateral movement within an enterprise environment.

For European organizations using IBM watsonx.data 2.2, this vulnerability poses a moderate risk. If an attacker or malicious insider obtains privileged credentials, they could execute arbitrary commands on the system hosting watsonx.data, potentially leading to unauthorized data access, data corruption, or disruption of data services. Given the critical role of data lakehouses in analytics and decision-making, such disruptions could impact business operations, regulatory compliance (e.g., GDPR), and data integrity. The medium severity score reflects that while the vulnerability requires privileged access, the potential for damage includes partial loss of confidentiality, integrity, and availability. European organizations in sectors such as finance, healthcare, telecommunications, and government, which rely heavily on data analytics platforms, could face operational and reputational damage if this vulnerability is exploited. Additionally, the lack of known exploits currently reduces immediate risk, but the presence of this vulnerability in a widely used IBM product necessitates prompt attention.

To mitigate this vulnerability, European organizations should: 1) Restrict privileged access to IBM watsonx.data systems strictly to trusted administrators and implement strong authentication mechanisms such as multi-factor authentication (MFA). 2) Monitor and audit privileged user activities to detect any anomalous command execution or suspicious behavior. 3) Apply the latest security updates and patches from IBM as soon as they become available; if no patch is yet released, consider temporary compensating controls such as input validation proxies or command execution restrictions at the OS level. 4) Employ network segmentation to isolate watsonx.data servers from less trusted network zones, limiting potential lateral movement. 5) Conduct regular security assessments and penetration testing focused on privileged user operations to identify potential exploitation paths. 6) Educate privileged users on secure usage practices and the risks of command injection vulnerabilities. These steps go beyond generic advice by emphasizing privileged access management, monitoring, and network controls tailored to the nature of this vulnerability.