IBM

The incident involves a **403 Forbidden** error, indicating unauthorized access to an IBM web resource (Incident ID: **18.ceb0f748.1757485191.4eafbe3**). While the error itself does not confirm a breach, it suggests a potential **misconfigured access control, exposed internal page, or failed security measure** that could allow attackers to probe for vulnerabilities. If exploited, this could lead to unauthorized data exposure, credential harvesting, or further system infiltration. The lack of public details implies IBM may have mitigated the issue internally, but the incident highlights risks of **improper access restrictions**, which are common entry points for cyber attacks. Without evidence of data theft or operational disruption, the impact remains speculative but warrants classification as a **security vulnerability** requiring remediation to prevent escalation.

Source: https://www.ibm.com/think/insights/when-ransomware-kills-attacks-on-healthcare-facilities

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

"id": "ibm4262042091025",
"linkid": "ibm",
"type": "Vulnerability",
"date": "1/2025",
"severity": "25",
"impact": "1",
"explanation": "Attack without any consequences: Attack in which data is not compromised"

{'affected_entities': [{'industry': 'technology',
                        'location': 'global (HQ: Armonk, New York, USA)',
                        'name': 'IBM',
                        'size': 'large',
                        'type': 'corporation'}],
 'description': 'A 403 Forbidden error was encountered when attempting to '
                'access an IBM page. Incident Number: '
                '18.ceb0f748.1757485191.4eafbe3. The page could not be '
                'displayed, possibly due to access restrictions, misconfigured '
                'permissions, or a security measure (e.g., WAF blocking, IP '
                'restriction, or authentication failure).',
 'impact': {'brand_reputation_impact': 'low (unless part of a larger outage or '
                                       'targeted attack)',
            'downtime': 'temporary (until access is restored or issue is '
                        'resolved)',
            'operational_impact': 'minor (limited to inability to access a '
                                  'specific page)',
            'systems_affected': ['unspecified_IBM_web_page']},
 'investigation_status': 'unconfirmed (could be benign or indicative of a '
                         'security event)',
 'recommendations': ['Investigate whether the 403 error is due to a '
                     'misconfiguration or a deliberate security block (e.g., '
                     'DDoS protection, IP blacklisting).',
                     'Ensure web application firewalls (WAFs) and access '
                     'control lists (ACLs) are properly tuned to avoid false '
                     'positives.',
                     'Monitor for patterns of unauthorized access attempts '
                     'that may trigger such errors.',
                     'Provide clear user guidance for troubleshooting 403 '
                     'errors (e.g., checking URL typos, permissions, or VPN '
                     'requirements).'],
 'references': [{'source': 'IBM Error Page'}],
 'response': {'recovery_measures': ['restore access via correct '
                                    'credentials/permissions',
                                    'update security policies if '
                                    'misconfigured'],
              'remediation_measures': ['verify URL correctness',
                                       'check access permissions',
                                       'review WAF/ACL rules',
                                       'clear cache/cookies']},
 'type': ['access_denial', 'potential_security_control_trigger']}