# CVE-2025-36120: IBM Storage Virtualize privilege escalation

> Authenticated users can escalate privileges in SSH sessions due to incorrect authorization checks in IBM Storage Virtualize.

- **Severity:** High 8.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 18 Aug 2025
- **Updated:** 26 Feb 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-qwfw-vm52-pf89

## What is CVE-2025-36120?

CVE-2025-36120 is a high-severity vulnerability in IBM Storage Virtualize, published on 18 Aug 2025. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

IBM Storage Virtualize 8.4, 8.5, 8.6, and 8.7 could allow an authenticated user to escalate their privileges in an SSH session due to incorrect authorization checks to access resources.

Weakness: CWE-863 (Incorrect Authorization)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-36120?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Ibm Storage Virtualize.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-36120?

No fix has been published for CVE-2025-36120 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2025-36120 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-36120 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in IBM Storage Virtualize

- [CVE-2025-0159](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-0159/): IBM FlashSystem authentication bypass (critical 9.1)
- [CVE-2025-0160](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-0160/): IBM FlashSystem code execution (high 8.1)
- [CVE-2025-36118](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-36118/): IBM Storage Virtualize Information Disclosure (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2023-43042](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-43042/): IBM Storage Virtualize information disclosure (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2025-1351](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-1351/): IBM Storage Virtualize privilege escalation (medium 6.7)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-36120 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-36120 is a high-severity vulnerability in IBM Storage Virtualize, published on 18 Aug 2025. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-36120 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: IBM Storage Virtualize. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-36120/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-36120/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-36120
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-36120
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-36120

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-36120/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.