CVE-2025-36118VulnerabilityPublished 17 Nov 2025

CVE-2025-36118: IBM Storage Virtualize · Heap Inspection

Affects IBM Storage VirtualizeSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.5 High.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 06:26 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

7.5High

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.3% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 32% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: None
Availability: None

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: None: The attacker is unauthorized prior to attack, and therefore does not require any access to settings or files to carry out an attack.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: High: There is total loss of confidentiality, resulting in all resources within the impacted component being divulged to the attacker. Alternatively, access to only some restricted information is obtained, but the disclosed information presents a direct, serious impact.
Integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the impacted component.
Availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 17 Nov 2025
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 2026-10-26.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
IBM Storage Virtualize	Affected =8.4 =8.5 =8.7 =9.1	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

Immediate mitigation should focus on restricting network access to IBM Storage Virtualize management interfaces, ideally isolating them within secure, internal networks and employing strict firewall rules to limit exposure. Implement network-level intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDS/IPS) to monitor and block suspicious SA negotiation requests. Since no official patches are currently available, organizations should engage with IBM support for any interim fixes or recommended configurations. Regularly audit and monitor logs for unusual activity related to IKEv1 negotiations. Consider disabling IKEv1 if feasible, or migrating to more secure VPN protocols that do not exhibit this vulnerability. Additionally, enforce strict access controls and multi-factor authentication on management interfaces to reduce the risk of exploitation. Once IBM releases patches, prioritize their deployment in all affected environments. Finally, conduct thorough security assessments of storage virtualization infrastructure to identify and remediate any other potential weaknesses.

Description

CVE-2025-36118 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting IBM Storage Virtualize versions 8.4, 8.5, 8.7, and 9.1. It stems from improper clearing of heap memory before release in the IKEv1 implementation, allowing remote attackers to retrieve sensitive information from device memory during Security Association negotiation requests. The vulnerability requires no authentication or user interaction and can be exploited remotely over the network. While it does not impact integrity or availability, the confidentiality breach could expose critical data. No known exploits are currently in the wild, but the vulnerability's nature and IBM Storage Virtualize's deployment in enterprise environments make it a significant risk. European organizations using these IBM storage solutions should prioritize patching once available and implement network-level protections to mitigate exposure.

Impact

For European organizations, the primary impact is the potential exposure of sensitive data stored in IBM Storage Virtualize devices. This could include encryption keys, authentication tokens, or other confidential information critical to maintaining data security and compliance with regulations such as GDPR. The confidentiality breach could lead to further attacks, including unauthorized data access or lateral movement within networks. Since IBM Storage Virtualize is often deployed in large enterprises, financial institutions, and critical infrastructure sectors, the risk extends to disruption of business operations and erosion of trust. The vulnerability does not directly affect system integrity or availability, but the leaked information could be leveraged by attackers to compromise other systems or exfiltrate data. The ease of remote exploitation without authentication increases the likelihood of targeted attacks, especially in environments with exposed management interfaces or insufficient network segmentation. Organizations in Europe with stringent data protection requirements must consider this vulnerability a serious threat to their information security posture.

CWE-244Improper Clearing of Heap Memory Before Release ('Heap Inspection') (opens in a new tab)
Variant weakness
Using realloc() to resize buffers that store sensitive information can leave the sensitive information exposed to attack, because it is not removed from memory.
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V8.3.2 (opens in a new tab)
V8.3.6 (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

ibm.com/support/pages/node/7250954 (opens in a new tab)

Community reviews

Loading reviews…

Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 24 Nov 2025, 21:15 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-244

Technical details

References

Community reviews

Related threats