CVE-2025-36131VulnerabilityPublished 7 Nov 2025

CVE-2025-36131: IBM Db2 · Exposure of Private Personal Information to an Unauthorized Actor

Affects IBM Db2Source CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 4.6 Medium.

Data as of 25 Oct 2026, 19:02 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

4.6Medium

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

EPSS: 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 8% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

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

Attack Vector: Physical
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: Physical: The attack requires the attacker to physically touch or manipulate the vulnerable component. Physical interaction may be brief or persistent.
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 7 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 2026-10-25.

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 Db2	Affected =11.1.0 =11.5.0 =12.1.0	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

To mitigate CVE-2025-36131, European organizations should implement strict physical security controls to prevent unauthorized access to systems running IBM Db2, including secure data center access, workstation locking policies, and surveillance. Administrators should monitor terminal sessions for unusual activity and restrict terminal access to authorized personnel only. It is advisable to avoid running the clpplus command on shared or publicly accessible terminals. Organizations should track IBM’s security advisories closely and apply patches or updates as soon as they become available to address this vulnerability. Additionally, consider configuring Db2 and related tools to minimize credential exposure, such as using environment variables or secure credential stores instead of displaying credentials on terminals. Employ multi-factor authentication and robust credential management policies to reduce the impact if credentials are exposed. Regularly audit and review access logs and implement network segmentation to limit lateral movement in case of credential compromise. Training staff on the importance of physical security and awareness of this vulnerability can further reduce risk.

Description

IBM Db2 11.1.0 through 11.1.4.7, 11.5.0 through 11.5.9, and 12.1.0 through 12.1.3 for Linux, UNIX and Windows (includes Db2 Connect Server) clpplus command exposes user credentials to the terminal which could be obtained by a third party with physical access to the system.

Impact

For European organizations, the primary impact of CVE-2025-36131 is the potential compromise of user credentials due to physical exposure on terminals running vulnerable IBM Db2 versions. This can lead to unauthorized access to sensitive databases, resulting in data breaches, loss of confidentiality, and potential regulatory non-compliance under GDPR. Although the vulnerability requires physical access, environments with shared workstations, data centers with less stringent physical controls, or remote offices may be at higher risk. The exposure of credentials could facilitate further attacks such as privilege escalation or lateral movement within the network. The impact is particularly significant for sectors handling sensitive personal data, financial information, or critical infrastructure, where database confidentiality is paramount. However, since the vulnerability does not affect integrity or availability, the risk of data manipulation or service disruption is minimal. The absence of known exploits in the wild reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the threat, especially if attackers gain physical access. Organizations relying on IBM Db2 for critical operations must consider this vulnerability in their risk management and physical security policies.

CWE-359Exposure of Private Personal Information to an Unauthorized Actor (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessOWASP Top 10 A01:2025: Broken Access Control (opens in a new tab)
The product does not properly prevent a person's private, personal information from being accessed by actors who either (1) are not explicitly authorized to access the information or (2) do not have the implicit consent of the person about whom the information is collected.
Requirements
Identify and consult all relevant regulations for personal privacy. An organization may be required to comply with certain federal and state regulations, depending on its location, the type of business it conducts, and the nature of any private data it handles.
Architecture and Design
Carefully evaluate how secure design may interfere with privacy, and vice versa. Security and privacy concerns often seem to compete with each other. From a security perspective, all important operations should be recorded so that any anomalous activity can later be identified.
Implementation · Operation · Attack Surface Reduction
Some tools can automatically analyze documents to redact, strip, or "sanitize" private information, although some human review might be necessary. Tools may vary in terms of which document formats can be processed.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Error Handling (opens in a new tab)
Authorization (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V10.2.1 (opens in a new tab)
V8.3.4 (opens in a new tab)
V14.3.3 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Evercookie (opens in a new tab)
Cross Site Identification (opens in a new tab)
Probe iOS Screenshots (opens in a new tab)
Shoulder Surfing (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

ibm.com/support/pages/node/7250484 (opens in a new tab)

Community reviews

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 7 Nov 2025, 19:13 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-359

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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