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8.4
HIGH CVSS 3.1
CVE-2025-12985
License Service: Privilege escalation vulnerability
Description

IBM Licensing Operator incorrectly assigns privileges to security critical files which could allow a local root escalation inside a container running the IBM Licensing Operator image.

INFO

Published Date :

Jan. 20, 2026, 3:16 p.m.

Last Modified :

Jan. 20, 2026, 3:16 p.m.

Remotely Exploit :

No

Source :

[email protected]
Affected Products

The following products are affected by CVE-2025-12985 vulnerability. Even if cvefeed.io is aware of the exact versions of the products that are affected, the information is not represented in the table below.

ID Vendor Product Action
1 Ibm license_metric_tool
: Total Affected Vendor : 1 | Products : 1
CVSS Scores
The Common Vulnerability Scoring System is a standardized framework for assessing the severity of vulnerabilities in software and systems. We collect and displays CVSS scores from various sources for each CVE.
Score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Score Impact Score Source
CVSS 3.1 HIGH 9a959283-ebb5-44b6-b705-dcc2bbced522
CVSS 3.1 HIGH [email protected]
Solution
Update the IBM Licensing Operator to a version that addresses the privilege assignment vulnerability.
  • Update the IBM Licensing Operator image to the latest version.
  • Verify file privilege assignments within the container.
  • Limit privileges for security-critical files.
  • Monitor for unauthorized privilege escalation attempts.
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools

Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to CVE-2025-12985.

URL Resource
https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/license-service-privilege-escalation-vulnerability
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration

While CVE identifies specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2025-12985 is associated with the following CWEs:

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC) stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2025-12985 weaknesses.

We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).

Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.

The following list is the news that have been mention CVE-2025-12985 vulnerability anywhere in the article.

Results are limited to the first 20 news articles due to potential performance issues.

The following table lists the changes that have been made to the CVE-2025-12985 vulnerability over time.

Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.

  • New CVE Received by [email protected]

    Jan. 20, 2026

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added Description IBM Licensing Operator incorrectly assigns privileges to security critical files which could allow a local root escalation inside a container running the IBM Licensing Operator image.
    Added CVSS V3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
    Added CWE CWE-732
    Added Reference https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/license-service-privilege-escalation-vulnerability
EPSS is a daily estimate of the probability of exploitation activity being observed over the next 30 days. Following chart shows the EPSS score history of the vulnerability.
Vulnerability Scoring Details
Base CVSS Score: 8.4
Attack Vector
Attack Complexity
Privileges Required
User Interaction
Scope
Confidentiality Impact
Integrity Impact
Availability Impact