VulnerabilityPublished 20 Jan 2026

CVE-2025-36418: IBM ApplinX · Improper Verification of Cryptographic Signature

Affects IBM ApplinXSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.3 High.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 10:12 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

7.3High

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

EPSS: 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 6% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: Low
Integrity: Low
Availability: Low

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: None: The attacker is unauthorized prior to attack, and therefore does not require any access to settings or files to carry out an attack.
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: Low: There is some loss of confidentiality. Access to some restricted information is obtained, but the attacker does not have control over what information is obtained, or the amount or kind of loss is limited. The information disclosure does not cause a direct, serious loss to the impacted component.
Integrity: Low: Modification of data is possible, but the attacker does not have control over the consequence of a modification, or the amount of modification is limited. The data modification does not have a direct, serious impact on the impacted component.
Availability: Low: Performance is reduced or there are interruptions in resource availability. Even if repeated exploitation of the vulnerability is possible, the attacker does not have the ability to completely deny service to legitimate users. The resources in the impacted component are either partially available all of the time, or fully available only some of the time, but overall there is no direct, serious consequence to the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 20 Jan 2026
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 26 Oct 2026.

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 or the CVSS exploit maturity 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
IBMApplinX	Affected =11.1	Fixed in–

CPE configurations (1)

cpe:2.3:a:ibm:applinx:11.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

AI-suggested

Apply official patches from IBM as soon as they become available to address the JWT verification flaw directly.
Until patches are released, implement strict validation of JWTs at the application or API gateway level, including verifying cryptographic signatures with trusted keys and rejecting tokens with suspicious claims or anomalies.
Employ network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure of IBM ApplinX servers to untrusted networks.
Monitor authentication logs and JWT usage patterns for unusual activity indicative of token forgery or privilege escalation attempts.
Use Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to detect and block malformed or unauthorized JWTs.
Conduct security audits and code reviews focusing on JWT handling and authentication mechanisms within the affected environment.
Educate security and development teams about the risks of improper JWT verification and best practices for secure token management.
Prepare incident response plans to quickly address potential exploitation scenarios involving JWT manipulation.

Description

IBM ApplinX 11.1 is vulnerable due to a privilege escalation vulnerability due to improper verification of JWT tokens. An attacker may be able to craft or modify a JSON web token in order to impersonate another user or to elevate their privileges.

Impact

The vulnerability allows attackers to bypass authentication controls by forging or modifying JWTs, leading to unauthorized access and privilege escalation within IBM ApplinX 11.1 environments. This compromises the confidentiality of sensitive data by enabling attackers to impersonate legitimate users and access restricted information. Integrity is affected as attackers can manipulate application behavior or data by acting with elevated privileges. Availability may also be impacted if attackers disrupt services or execute malicious actions under escalated privileges. For European organizations, especially those relying on IBM ApplinX for critical business processes or legacy system integration, this could result in data breaches, regulatory non-compliance (e.g., GDPR violations), operational disruptions, and reputational damage. The network-exploitable nature without authentication or user interaction increases the likelihood of exploitation in targeted or opportunistic attacks. The absence of known exploits currently provides a window for proactive defense, but the risk remains high given the vulnerability's characteristics.

CWE-347Improper Verification of Cryptographic Signature (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessOWASP Top 10 A04:2025: Cryptographic Failures (opens in a new tab)
The product does not verify, or incorrectly verifies, the cryptographic signature for data.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
XML Security (opens in a new tab)
REST Security (opens in a new tab)
JSON Web Token for Java (opens in a new tab)
REST Assessment (opens in a new tab)
Cross-Site Request Forgery Prevention (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V13.3.2 (opens in a new tab)
V3.5.3 (opens in a new tab)
V13.2.6 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Padding Oracle Crypto Attack (opens in a new tab)
Signature Spoofing by Improper Validation (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

ibm.com/support/pages/node/7257446 (opens in a new tab)

Community reviews

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

CPE configurations (1)

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 20 Jan 2026, 16:20 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-347

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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