VulnerabilityPublished 25 Mar 2026

CVE-2025-36258: IBM InfoSphere Information Server · Plaintext Storage of a Password

Affects IBM InfoSphere Information ServerSource CVE Database V5

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Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.1 High.

Data as of 30 Oct 2026, 11:52 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

7.1High

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

EPSS: 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 4% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

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

Attack Vector: Local
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Scope: Changed
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: None
Availability: None

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

Attack Vector: Local: The vulnerable component is not bound to the network stack and the attacker’s path is via read/write/execute capabilities. Either: the attacker exploits the vulnerability by accessing the target system locally (e.g., keyboard, console), or remotely (e.g., SSH); or the attacker relies on User Interaction by another person to perform actions required to exploit the vulnerability (e.g., tricking a legitimate user into opening a malicious document).
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: Changed: An exploited vulnerability can affect resources beyond the security scope managed by the security authority of the vulnerable component. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are different and managed by different security authorities.
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 25 Mar 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: 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 30 Oct 2026.

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.
Weaponized: A Metasploit exploit module or Exploit-DB entry exists (Metasploit scanner modules do not count), or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity 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
IBMInfoSphere Information Server	Affected >=11.7.0.0 <=11.7.1.6	Fixed in–

CPE configurations (2)

cpe:2.3:a:ibm:infosphere_information_server:11.7.0.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:ibm:infosphere_information_server:11.7.1.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

AI-suggested

Immediately restrict local access to systems running IBM InfoSphere Information Server to trusted administrators only, using strict access control policies and monitoring.
Implement file system permissions to limit read access to credential storage locations, ensuring only necessary service accounts or administrators can access these files.
Monitor local system logs and user activity for unusual access patterns or attempts to read sensitive files.
Use host-based intrusion detection systems (HIDS) to detect unauthorized file access attempts.
Enforce strong credential management policies, including unique passwords and regular rotation, to reduce the impact of credential exposure.
Segregate critical systems and limit network access to reduce the risk of lateral movement if credentials are compromised.
Stay updated with IBM security advisories and apply patches or updates as soon as they become available.
Consider encrypting sensitive configuration files or credentials at rest using third-party tools or OS-level encryption until an official fix is released.
Conduct regular security audits and penetration testing focusing on local privilege escalation and credential exposure risks.

Description

IBM InfoSphere Information Server 11.7.0.0 through 11.7.1.6 product stores user credentials and other sensitive information in plain text which can be read by a local user.

Impact

The primary impact of CVE-2025-36258 is the compromise of confidentiality due to plaintext storage of sensitive credentials. An attacker with local access can easily retrieve user passwords, which may allow unauthorized access to the InfoSphere environment and potentially other connected systems if credentials are reused. This can lead to lateral movement, data exfiltration, and further compromise of enterprise data integration workflows. The vulnerability does not affect system integrity or availability directly but can indirectly facilitate more severe attacks. Organizations with multiple users on shared systems or weak local access controls are at higher risk. The scope of affected systems is limited to IBM InfoSphere Information Server versions 11.7.0.0 through 11.7.1.6, but given the product's use in critical data processing environments, the impact can be significant. The lack of required privileges or user interaction lowers the barrier for exploitation, increasing the risk in environments where local access is not tightly controlled.

CWE-256Plaintext Storage of a Password (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessLikelihood of exploit: HighOWASP Top 10 A06:2025: Insecure Design (opens in a new tab)
The product stores a password in plaintext within resources such as memory or files.
Architecture and Design
Avoid storing passwords in easily accessible locations.
Architecture and Design
Consider storing cryptographic hashes of passwords as an alternative to storing in plaintext.
A programmer might attempt to remedy the password management problem by obscuring the password with an encoding function, such as base 64 encoding, but this effort does not adequately protect the password because the encoding can be detected and decoded easily.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Forgot Password (opens in a new tab)
Secure Design Principles (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V2.7.5 (opens in a new tab)
V2.8.5 (opens in a new tab)
V2.8.4 (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

ibm.com/support/pages/node/7266489 (opens in a new tab)

Community reviews

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

CPE configurations (2)

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 25 Mar 2026, 21:01 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-256

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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