CVE-2025-36582 is a medium-severity vulnerability identified in Dell NetWorker, a widely used enterprise backup and recovery software. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-757, which pertains to the selection of less-secure algorithms during negotiation, commonly known as an 'algorithm downgrade' attack. In this context, the vulnerability allows an unauthenticated remote attacker to influence the cryptographic negotiation process between a client and the Dell NetWorker server, causing the system to select a weaker cryptographic algorithm than intended. This downgrade can lead to information disclosure by weakening the confidentiality guarantees of the communication channel. The vulnerability affects Dell NetWorker versions 19.12.0.1 and earlier. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 4.8, indicating a medium severity level. The attack vector is network-based (AV:N), requires high attack complexity (AC:H), no privileges (PR:N), and no user interaction (UI:N). The scope remains unchanged (S:U), and the impact is limited to low confidentiality and integrity loss (C:L/I:L), with no impact on availability (A:N). No known exploits are currently in the wild, and no patches have been publicly released at the time of this report. The vulnerability arises because the negotiation process does not enforce the use of strong cryptographic algorithms, allowing attackers to force the use of weaker algorithms that can be more easily broken or intercepted, potentially exposing sensitive backup data or credentials during transmission.

For European organizations, the impact of this vulnerability can be significant, especially for enterprises relying on Dell NetWorker for critical data backup and disaster recovery operations. Information disclosure could lead to exposure of sensitive corporate data, including customer information, intellectual property, or internal credentials. This risk is heightened in sectors with strict data protection regulations such as GDPR, where unauthorized data exposure can result in heavy fines and reputational damage. Additionally, the vulnerability could be exploited as a foothold for further attacks, such as lateral movement within networks or targeted espionage. Since the vulnerability does not require authentication or user interaction, attackers can attempt exploitation remotely, increasing the threat surface. However, the high attack complexity and lack of known exploits reduce the immediate risk. Organizations with remote backup servers accessible over the internet or less restrictive network segmentation are particularly vulnerable.

European organizations should proactively mitigate this vulnerability by implementing the following measures: 1) Restrict network access to Dell NetWorker servers by enforcing strict firewall rules and VPN-only access to limit exposure to untrusted networks. 2) Monitor network traffic for unusual negotiation patterns or attempts to force weak algorithms, using intrusion detection systems with updated signatures. 3) Apply any available vendor patches or updates as soon as they are released by Dell, and maintain close communication with Dell support for advisories. 4) Where possible, configure Dell NetWorker to enforce the use of strong cryptographic algorithms explicitly, disabling legacy or weak cipher suites in the configuration. 5) Conduct regular security audits and penetration tests focusing on backup infrastructure to detect potential downgrade or man-in-the-middle attack vectors. 6) Educate IT staff on the risks of algorithm downgrade attacks and ensure incident response plans include scenarios involving backup system compromise. 7) Consider network segmentation to isolate backup servers from general user networks, reducing the attack surface.