IBM

The incident involves a **403 Forbidden** error, indicating unauthorized or restricted access to a specific IBM webpage or resource. While the error itself does not explicitly detail a cybersecurity breach, it may suggest a misconfigured access control, potential unauthorized access attempt, or a security measure blocking legitimate requests. If this error is part of a broader attack—such as a **DDoS, credential stuffing, or web application exploit**—it could imply an attempt to compromise IBM’s systems or data. However, without further context, the direct impact remains unclear. The incident number provided (18.85e41602.1758759830.50779d9f) hints at a logged security event, but no evidence of data exfiltration, financial loss, or operational disruption is visible. The scenario aligns with a **possible vulnerability exploitation or cyber attack** with limited immediate consequences, though further investigation would be required to confirm intent or damage.

Source: https://www.ibm.com/think/podcasts/security-intelligence/ai-vulnerability-apocalypse-petya-dumb-cybersecurity-rules

TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/ibm

"id": "ibm2902429092525",
"linkid": "ibm",
"type": "Cyber Attack",
"date": "5/2025",
"severity": "25",
"impact": "",
"explanation": "Attack without any consequences: Attack in which data is not compromised"

{'affected_entities': [{'industry': 'technology',
                        'location': 'global (headquartered in Armonk, New '
                                    'York, USA)',
                        'name': 'IBM',
                        'size': 'large (350,000+ employees)',
                        'type': 'corporation'}],
 'description': 'A 403 Forbidden error was encountered when attempting to '
                'access an IBM page. Incident Number: '
                '18.85e41602.1758759830.50779d9f. The error suggests '
                'unauthorized or restricted access to the requested resource, '
                'which may indicate a misconfiguration, access control issue, '
                'or potential security incident (e.g., unauthorized probing, '
                'DDoS mitigation, or web application firewall (WAF) blocking).',
 'impact': {'brand_reputation_impact': 'Minor to moderate (if perceived as a '
                                       'security lapse or poor user '
                                       'experience).',
            'operational_impact': 'Potential disruption for users attempting '
                                  'to access the page; possible reputational '
                                  'risk if the error persists or is tied to a '
                                  'broader security issue.',
            'systems_affected': ['IBM webpage (unspecified)']},
 'recommendations': ['Investigate whether the 403 error is due to a '
                     'misconfiguration, overzealous security rule (e.g., WAF), '
                     'or a targeted attack.',
                     'Review access logs to determine if the error correlates '
                     'with malicious activity (e.g., brute force, scanning).',
                     'Ensure proper error handling to avoid exposing incident '
                     'IDs or internal details to end-users.',
                     'Communicate transparently with users if the issue is '
                     'widespread or tied to a security event.'],
 'references': [{'source': 'IBM Error Page'}],
 'response': {'adaptive_behavioral_waf': 'Possible (if the 403 is triggered by '
                                         'a WAF rule).'},
 'type': ['access_control_issue',
          'potential_unauthorized_access_attempt',
          'web_application_security_incident']}