CVE-2025-36020 is a vulnerability classified under CWE-319, which pertains to the cleartext transmission of sensitive information. Specifically, IBM Guardium Data Protection versions 11.5, 12.0, and 12.1 transmit sensitive credential data without adequate encryption, exposing it to interception by remote attackers. The vulnerability allows an unauthenticated attacker to eavesdrop on network communications and extract credentials, potentially enabling further unauthorized access. The CVSS v3.1 score of 5.9 reflects a medium severity, with the vector indicating network attack vector (AV:N), high attack complexity (AC:H), no privileges required (PR:N), no user interaction (UI:N), unchanged scope (S:U), high confidentiality impact (C:H), and no impact on integrity or availability (I:N/A:N). The high attack complexity suggests that exploitation requires specific conditions or capabilities, such as network positioning or advanced sniffing tools. IBM has not yet released patches, and no active exploits have been reported. Guardium is widely used for database activity monitoring and data protection in enterprise environments, making the exposure of credentials a significant risk for lateral movement or privilege escalation if exploited.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a risk primarily to the confidentiality of sensitive credential information used within IBM Guardium Data Protection deployments. Compromise of these credentials could lead to unauthorized access to database monitoring systems, potentially allowing attackers to bypass security controls, access sensitive data, or disrupt compliance monitoring. Given Guardium's role in protecting critical data assets, exploitation could indirectly affect data privacy obligations under GDPR and other regulations. The medium severity and high attack complexity reduce the likelihood of widespread exploitation, but targeted attacks against financial institutions, government agencies, or critical infrastructure operators using Guardium could have significant consequences. The lack of impact on integrity and availability limits the scope of damage but does not diminish the risk of credential theft and subsequent attacks.

Organizations should immediately audit their IBM Guardium deployments to identify affected versions (11.5, 12.0, 12.1). Until official patches are released, enforce network-level protections such as VPNs or TLS tunnels to ensure encryption of all communications involving Guardium credentials. Network segmentation should isolate Guardium management traffic from untrusted networks. Implement strict monitoring and alerting for any unencrypted credential transmissions or unusual access patterns. Review and rotate credentials used by Guardium components regularly to limit exposure. Engage with IBM support for updates on patches or workarounds. Additionally, conduct penetration testing to verify that no cleartext credential leaks occur in the environment. Finally, ensure that all security policies and incident response plans consider potential credential compromise scenarios related to this vulnerability.