CVE-2025-36027 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting IBM Datacap versions 9.1.7, 9.1.8, and 9.1.9. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-1021, which involves improper restriction of rendered UI layers or frames. Specifically, this flaw allows a remote attacker to hijack the clicking actions of a victim by leveraging a maliciously crafted web page. When a victim visits such a site, the attacker can manipulate the UI layers or frames rendered by the IBM Datacap application, causing the victim's clicks to be redirected or intercepted without their knowledge. This can lead to unintended actions being performed on behalf of the victim, potentially enabling further attacks such as unauthorized commands, data manipulation, or privilege escalation within the context of the Datacap environment. The vulnerability requires that the victim interacts with a malicious web page (user interaction required) and that the attacker has network access (attack vector: network). The CVSS 3.1 score is 5.4, reflecting a medium severity level, with low complexity to exploit (AC:L), requiring low privileges (PR:L), and user interaction (UI:R). The scope is changed (S:C), indicating that the vulnerability affects resources beyond the initially vulnerable component. Confidentiality and integrity impacts are low, while availability is not affected. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no official patches or mitigation links have been published yet by IBM. This vulnerability highlights the risks associated with UI layer manipulation in web-facing applications, especially those handling sensitive document capture and processing workflows like IBM Datacap.

For European organizations using IBM Datacap versions 9.1.7 through 9.1.9, this vulnerability poses a risk of unauthorized actions being performed via click hijacking. Since Datacap is often used in enterprise environments for document capture, processing, and workflow automation, exploitation could lead to unauthorized data manipulation or workflow disruption. Although the confidentiality and integrity impacts are rated low, the ability to hijack user clicks could facilitate further targeted attacks, including social engineering or privilege escalation within the affected system. This could result in operational disruptions, compliance violations (especially under GDPR if personal data is involved), and potential reputational damage. The requirement for user interaction and low privilege reduces the likelihood of widespread automated exploitation but does not eliminate risk in environments where users access untrusted web content. The changed scope indicates that the vulnerability could affect components beyond the immediate application, potentially impacting integrated systems or services. European organizations with web-facing Datacap interfaces or those whose users frequently interact with external web content are particularly at risk.

1. Immediate mitigation should include educating users about the risks of visiting untrusted or suspicious websites, especially when logged into IBM Datacap environments. 2. Implement strict Content Security Policy (CSP) headers and frame-ancestors directives to restrict the embedding of Datacap interfaces within untrusted frames or sites, reducing the risk of UI layer manipulation. 3. Employ browser security features such as X-Frame-Options to prevent clickjacking attacks. 4. Monitor and restrict network access to Datacap web interfaces, limiting exposure to trusted networks and VPNs only. 5. Regularly audit and update user privileges to ensure minimal necessary access, reducing the impact of low-privilege exploitation. 6. Stay alert for IBM security advisories and apply patches or updates promptly once available. 7. Consider deploying web application firewalls (WAF) with custom rules to detect and block suspicious frame or UI manipulation attempts targeting Datacap. 8. Conduct security awareness training focusing on social engineering and clickjacking risks to reduce successful exploitation likelihood.