major vulnerability· requires attention

Affects IBM DataStage on Cloud Pak for Data, a widely used enterprise ETL platform; critical data disclosure risk across enterprise deployments.

Cloud

CVE-2026-81549

9.6

Critical

EPSS 0.26%Patch available

Auth'd header validation flaw in IBM DataStage can expose sensitive data.

exploited

No known exploitation not in CISA KEV as of our last sync

fix

Patch available see the advisory in the references

likelihood

EPSS 0.26%top 82% of scored CVEs

Published 24 Sept 2026Analysed here 27 Sept 2026CVSS scored by the publisher (CNA)

common questions

Is CVE-2026-81549 being exploited?

Not confirmed. CVE-2026-81549 does not appear in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, which records only exploitation that has been observed and reported publicly. That is evidence of absence of a report, not evidence the flaw is unattacked. EPSS currently estimates a 0.26% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How severe is CVE-2026-81549?

CVE-2026-81549 is rated Critical with a CVSS score of 9.6. Severity describes how bad exploitation would be, not how likely it is: pair it with exploitation evidence before deciding what to patch first.

Is there a patch for CVE-2026-81549?

Yes. A fix has been recorded for CVE-2026-81549. The vendor advisory is the authority on the exact fixed version — apply it from there rather than from a summary.

What does CVE-2026-81549 affect?

CVE-2026-81549 affects IBM DataStage on Cloud Pak for Data 5.4.0.0, Cloud Pak for Data deployments running DataStage. Confirm the exact affected versions against the vendor advisory before deciding you are exposed.

What should I do about CVE-2026-81549?

Apply vendor update when available; restrict access and validate/strip X-Forwarded-Proto at proxies

Exploitation status reflects CISA's KEV catalog as we last synced it. Check the catalog directly.

executive summary

technical analysis

affected

IBM DataStage on Cloud Pak for Data 5.4.0.0Cloud Pak for Data deployments running DataStage

impact

Remote authenticated attacker can abuse X-Forwarded-Proto validation to retrieve sensitive information (SSRF/info disclosure).

action required

Patch when possible

affected versions

IBM DataStage on Cloud Pak for Data

affected5.4.0.0

As published in the CVE Program record. A version outside these ranges is not a statement that it is unaffected — vendors sometimes understate a range, and distribution-backported builds carry upstream numbers that do not reflect what was patched into them.

cisa ssvc

exploitation: none
automatable: no
technical impact: total

Assessed by CISA 24 Sept 2026 (SSVC 2.0.3).

timeline

24 Sept 2026Published
24 Sept 2026CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation none · same day later
24 Sept 2026CVE record last updated · same day later
27 Sept 2026Analysed by vulneraibility.com · 3 days later

how to fix

Remediation steps are tailored for users whose stack is affected. Add this technology to your stack to see the fix checklist.

references

NVD CVE.org CVE Details Source

1 reference in the CVE record: 1 patch

Patchibm.com /support/pages/node/7288649

sources

CVE List (CVE.org): description, affected versions, references; CVE Terms of Use
NVD: CVSS and CPE data
CISA Vulnrichment (ADP): SSVC decision points
FIRST EPSS: exploit probability and percentile
Summary, impact and triage tags: written by our AI analysis pipeline from the sources above. Check them against the sources.

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