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 pertains to improper restriction of rendered UI layers or frames. This flaw allows a remote attacker to hijack the clicking actions of a victim by leveraging a maliciously crafted web page. Specifically, when a victim is persuaded to visit such a malicious site, the attacker can manipulate the UI layers or frames rendered by the IBM Datacap application to intercept or redirect user clicks without their knowledge. This clickjacking technique can lead to unauthorized actions being performed on behalf of the user, potentially enabling further attacks such as privilege escalation, unauthorized data access, or manipulation of the application’s workflow. The vulnerability requires the victim to interact with a malicious web page (user interaction required) and the attacker must have network access to deliver the malicious content (attack vector: network). The CVSS v3.1 score is 5.4, indicating a medium severity level, with low attack complexity but requiring some privileges and user interaction. The scope is changed, meaning the vulnerability can affect resources beyond the initially vulnerable component. There are no known exploits in the wild at the time of publication, and no official patches have been linked yet. IBM Datacap is an enterprise content capture and document processing solution used to automate data extraction and workflow management, often integrated into business-critical processes.

For European organizations using IBM Datacap versions 9.1.7 through 9.1.9, this vulnerability poses a risk of unauthorized actions being executed through clickjacking attacks. The impact primarily affects the integrity and confidentiality of data processed by Datacap, as attackers could trick users into performing unintended actions that may expose sensitive information or alter document processing workflows. While availability is not directly impacted, the integrity compromise could lead to significant operational disruptions, especially in sectors relying heavily on automated document processing such as finance, healthcare, and government services. The requirement for user interaction limits the attack surface somewhat, but social engineering or phishing campaigns could increase the likelihood of successful exploitation. Given the widespread use of IBM Datacap in European enterprises for compliance and regulatory workflows, exploitation could lead to data breaches or non-compliance with data protection regulations such as GDPR, resulting in legal and reputational consequences.

To mitigate this vulnerability, European organizations should implement the following specific measures: 1) Restrict and monitor access to IBM Datacap web interfaces, ensuring they are not exposed unnecessarily to the public internet to reduce exposure to malicious web content. 2) Employ Content Security Policy (CSP) headers and X-Frame-Options HTTP headers to prevent the application’s UI from being embedded in frames or iframes on untrusted domains, thereby mitigating clickjacking risks. 3) Conduct user awareness training focused on recognizing phishing and social engineering attempts that could lead to visiting malicious websites. 4) Monitor user activity logs within Datacap for unusual or unauthorized actions that could indicate exploitation attempts. 5) Engage with IBM support to obtain patches or workarounds as soon as they become available and prioritize timely application of these updates. 6) Consider implementing multi-factor authentication and least privilege principles for users interacting with Datacap to reduce the impact of compromised user sessions. 7) Use web filtering solutions to block access to known malicious sites that could host the attack vectors. These targeted mitigations go beyond generic advice by focusing on UI-layer protections, user behavior, and network access controls specific to the nature of this vulnerability.