CVE-2025-36386 is a critical vulnerability identified in IBM Maximo Application Suite versions 9.0.0 through 9.0.15 and 9.1.0 through 9.1.4. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-305, which indicates a primary weakness in authentication mechanisms allowing bypass. Specifically, this flaw enables a remote attacker to circumvent all authentication controls without requiring any privileges or user interaction, effectively granting unauthorized access to the application. The vulnerability is remotely exploitable over the network (AV:N), requires no authentication (PR:N), and no user interaction (UI:N), making it highly accessible to attackers. The impact is severe, affecting confidentiality, integrity, and availability (C:H/I:H/A:H), as attackers can gain full control over the application and potentially the underlying systems. IBM Maximo Application Suite is widely used for enterprise asset management, maintenance, and operations, often in critical sectors such as manufacturing, utilities, and transportation. The lack of available patches at the time of disclosure increases the urgency for organizations to implement compensating controls. Although no exploits have been reported in the wild yet, the critical nature and ease of exploitation make this a high-priority vulnerability. The vulnerability was reserved in April 2025 and published in October 2025, indicating a recent discovery and disclosure timeline.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-36386 is substantial. IBM Maximo is commonly deployed in industries critical to European economies, including manufacturing, energy, transportation, and utilities. Successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive operational data, disruption of asset management processes, and potential sabotage of critical infrastructure. This could result in operational downtime, financial losses, regulatory penalties under GDPR for data breaches, and reputational damage. Given the criticality of the vulnerability and the lack of authentication or user interaction required, attackers could automate exploitation attempts, increasing the risk of widespread compromise. Organizations relying on IBM Maximo for compliance and operational continuity face heightened risks, especially those with remote access enabled or insufficient network segmentation. The vulnerability could also be leveraged as a foothold for lateral movement within enterprise networks, amplifying the potential damage.

Until IBM releases official patches, European organizations should implement immediate compensating controls. These include restricting network access to IBM Maximo instances via firewalls and VPNs, limiting exposure to trusted IP addresses only. Employ strict network segmentation to isolate Maximo servers from general user networks and the internet. Monitor logs and network traffic for unusual authentication bypass attempts or anomalous access patterns. Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) at network or application gateway levels if possible, to add an additional layer of security. Conduct thorough asset inventories to identify all Maximo deployments and prioritize remediation efforts. Prepare for rapid patch deployment by testing updates in isolated environments once available. Engage with IBM support for any interim security advisories or hotfixes. Additionally, review and harden application configurations, disable unnecessary services, and ensure that backups are current and secure to enable recovery in case of compromise.