CVE-2025-36034 is a medium severity vulnerability affecting IBM InfoSphere Information Server version 11.7, specifically within the InfoSphere DataStage Flow Designer component. The vulnerability is categorized under CWE-319, which relates to the cleartext transmission of sensitive information. In this case, sensitive user information is transmitted in API requests without encryption, making it susceptible to interception via man-in-the-middle (MitM) attacks. An attacker positioned on the network path between the client and server could capture these API requests and extract sensitive data such as authentication tokens, user credentials, or other confidential information. The CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.3 reflects a network attack vector (AV:N), requiring low privileges (PR:L), no user interaction (UI:N), high attack complexity (AC:H), and impacts confidentiality (C:H) without affecting integrity or availability. The vulnerability does not require user interaction but does require the attacker to have network access to intercept the traffic. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no patches have been published as of the vulnerability disclosure date (June 26, 2025). The root cause is the lack of encryption or secure transport protocols (e.g., TLS) for API communications within the affected version, leading to exposure of sensitive data during transmission.

For European organizations using IBM InfoSphere Information Server 11.7, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to the confidentiality of sensitive data processed or managed by the platform. The exposure of user credentials or tokens could lead to unauthorized access to the data integration environment, potentially allowing attackers to pivot to other internal systems or exfiltrate sensitive business data. Given the role of InfoSphere in enterprise data workflows, such a breach could disrupt data governance, compliance with GDPR, and overall data integrity assurance. Although the vulnerability does not directly impact system integrity or availability, the compromise of sensitive information could have cascading effects, including regulatory penalties and reputational damage. The requirement for network access to exploit the vulnerability means that internal networks or poorly segmented environments are at higher risk, especially if encrypted communication is not enforced internally. Organizations with remote or hybrid work models that rely on unsecured networks may also be vulnerable to interception attacks.

European organizations should immediately assess their deployment of IBM InfoSphere Information Server 11.7 to determine exposure to this vulnerability. Specific mitigation steps include: 1) Enforce the use of secure transport protocols such as TLS 1.2 or higher for all API communications within the InfoSphere environment, ensuring that sensitive data is encrypted in transit. 2) Implement network segmentation and strict access controls to limit exposure of the InfoSphere server and API endpoints to trusted networks only. 3) Monitor network traffic for unencrypted API requests and deploy intrusion detection systems capable of identifying potential MitM attack patterns. 4) Apply strict authentication and authorization policies to minimize the impact of credential exposure, including multi-factor authentication where supported. 5) Engage with IBM support channels to obtain patches or official guidance as they become available, and plan for timely patch deployment. 6) Conduct regular security audits and penetration testing focused on data transmission security within the InfoSphere environment. 7) Educate IT staff and users about the risks of using unsecured networks and the importance of secure communication channels.