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.
No affected product recoded yet
CVSS Scores
| 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 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.
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