CVE-2022-42442 is an information disclosure vulnerability affecting IBM Robotic Process Automation (RPA) for Cloud Pak versions 21.0.1 through 21.0.5. The vulnerability allows users who have access to the container platform hosting the RPA environment to obtain the email address of the first tenant owner. This exposure occurs due to insufficient access controls or improper handling of tenant metadata within the containerized environment. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-200 (Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor). The CVSS v3.1 base score is 3.3, indicating a low severity level. The attack vector is local (AV:L), requiring the attacker to have some level of privileges (PR:L) on the container platform, but no user interaction is needed (UI:N). The impact is limited to confidentiality (C:L) with no effect on integrity or availability. No known exploits are reported in the wild, and no patches have been explicitly linked in the provided information. This vulnerability primarily risks the privacy of the tenant owner's email address, which could be leveraged in targeted phishing or social engineering attacks if combined with other information. However, it does not directly allow unauthorized access or control over the RPA system or its data.

For European organizations using IBM Robotic Process Automation for Cloud Pak, this vulnerability poses a limited but non-negligible risk. Disclosure of the first tenant owner's email address could facilitate spear-phishing campaigns or social engineering attacks targeting privileged users or administrators, potentially leading to further compromise if combined with other vulnerabilities or poor security practices. Organizations relying on containerized deployments of IBM RPA should be aware that attackers with container platform access can harvest sensitive metadata. While the direct impact on system integrity and availability is minimal, the confidentiality breach could undermine trust and compliance with data protection regulations such as GDPR, especially if the exposed email addresses are considered personal data. The risk is higher in environments where container platform access is not tightly controlled or monitored. Overall, the impact is moderate in terms of potential downstream effects but low in direct technical severity.

To mitigate this vulnerability, European organizations should: 1) Restrict and tightly control access to the container platform hosting IBM RPA for Cloud Pak, ensuring only authorized personnel have the necessary privileges. 2) Implement robust monitoring and auditing of container platform access to detect any unauthorized or suspicious activities. 3) Apply the principle of least privilege to container platform roles to minimize exposure. 4) Regularly review and update tenant metadata handling configurations to ensure sensitive information is not unnecessarily exposed. 5) Stay informed on IBM security advisories for any forthcoming patches or updates addressing this issue and apply them promptly. 6) Educate tenant owners and administrators about phishing risks and encourage the use of multi-factor authentication to reduce the impact of potential social engineering attacks. 7) Consider network segmentation and isolation of container environments to limit lateral movement in case of compromise.