CVE Alert: CVE-2025-0165 – IBM – watsonx Orchestrate Cartridge for IBM Cloud Pak for Data

Risk verdict

High risk: a remote SQL injection with low-privilege access could view or modify backend data; patching should be treated as urgent.

Why this matters

Successful exploitation could lead to data disclosure, alteration or loss, undermining confidentiality and integrity of critical datasets. The impact on regulated or sensitive data could trigger compliance and trust concerns, with potential business disruption if the backend becomes unreliable.

Most likely attack path

An attacker can reach a network-facing endpoint and exploit unsanitised input to execute arbitrary SQL. No user interaction is required, and only low privileges are needed, increasing the likelihood of exploitation in exposed environments. A successful chain could enable data exfiltration or tampering, with possible lateral movement through compromised queries.

Who is most exposed

Deployments where the cartridge is accessible over the network and not promptly patched are most at risk—common in on-premises or cloud-integrated enterprise setups with external-facing interfaces and automation workflows.

Detection ideas

• Look for unusual or erroring SQL queries in application and database logs.
• Alerts for atypical data retrieval patterns or large, unexpected data exports.
• IDS/IPS or WAF logs showing SQL injection-like payloads.
• Long-running queries or increased DB wait times tied to the cartridge endpoints.
• Sudden spikes in authentication or access to sensitive tables.

Mitigation and prioritisation

• Upgrade to IBM watsonx Orchestrate Cartridge 5.2.0.1 and validate in a test environment before production.
• If immediate patching isn’t possible, apply compensating controls: restrict access to the cartridge endpoint (IP allowlists, VPN-only), require authentication, and enforce least privilege; enable application-layer input validation and parameterised queries.
• Strengthen monitoring: real-time DB logs, SIEM alerts for SQLi patterns, and anomaly detection on data access.
• Schedule patching in a maintained window; verify patch success and rollback plan if issues arise. Treat as high priority given the CVSS implications and remote exploit path.