CVE-2024-55898

High

Published: 24 February 2025

Published

24 February 2025

Modified

03 July 2025

KEV Added

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Patch

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CVSS Score 8.5 CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

EPSS Score 0.0005 16.8th percentile

Risk Priority 17 60% EPSS · 20% KEV · 20% CVSS

Summary

CVE-2024-55898 is a high-severity Uncontrolled Search Path Element (CWE-427) vulnerability in Ibm I. Its CVSS base score is 8.5 (High).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploitation for Privilege Escalation (T1068); ranked at the 16.8th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

The strongest mitigations our analysis identified are NIST 800-53 AC-6 (Least Privilege) and CM-5 (Access Restrictions for Change).

Threat & Defense at a Glance

What attackers do: exploitation maps to Exploitation for Privilege Escalation (T1068) and 1 other technique. What defenders deploy: see the NIST 800-53 controls recommended below.

Threat & Defense Details

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5)AI

SI-2 Flaw Remediation good match

prevent

Directly remediates the unqualified library call vulnerability by requiring timely patching of affected IBM i systems as per vendor advisory.

AC-6 Least Privilege good match

prevent

Enforces least privilege to deny unnecessary compile or restore capabilities to low-privileged users, blocking the prerequisite for exploitation.

CM-5 Access Restrictions for Change good match

prevent

Restricts access to program compilation and restoration processes to authorized roles, preventing malicious actors from leveraging these functions for privilege escalation.

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI

T1068 Exploitation for Privilege Escalation Privilege Escalation

Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in an attempt to elevate privileges.

attack.mitre.org →

T1574.002 DLL Side-Loading Stealth

Adversaries may execute their own malicious payloads by side-loading DLLs.

attack.mitre.org →

Why these techniques?

Direct privilege escalation via exploitation of uncontrolled search path (CWE-427) for malicious library loading.

Confidence: HIGH · MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise v18.1

NVD Description

IBM i 7.2, 7.3, 7.4, and 7.5 could allow a user with the capability to compile or restore a program to gain elevated privileges due to an unqualified library call. A malicious actor could cause user-controlled code to run with…

administrator privilege.

Deeper analysisAI

CVE-2024-55898 is a privilege escalation vulnerability affecting IBM i versions 7.2, 7.3, 7.4, and 7.5, stemming from an unqualified library call (CWE-427). It enables a user with the ability to compile or restore a program to gain elevated privileges, allowing user-controlled code to execute with administrator-level access. The vulnerability carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.5 (AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H), indicating high severity due to its potential for significant impact across confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

Exploitation requires low privileges (PR:L), specifically the capability to compile or restore programs, and can occur over the network (AV:N) without user interaction (UI:N), though it demands high attack complexity (AC:H). A malicious actor meeting these prerequisites can leverage the unqualified library call to execute arbitrary code with administrator privileges, achieving full system compromise including scope change (S:C).

IBM's security advisory, available at https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7183835, provides details on the vulnerability, affected versions, and recommended mitigations, including patches for resolving the issue. Security practitioners should review this page for deployment instructions and verification steps.