CVE-2025-5731 is a vulnerability identified in the Infinispan Command Line Interface (CLI) component of Red Hat's Infinispan product. The flaw arises from the way the CLI processes sensitive passwords that are decoded from Base64-encoded Kubernetes secrets. Specifically, when a user inputs an invalid command, the CLI attempts to generate an error message that inadvertently includes the plaintext password within the command string. This results in the sensitive password being exposed in error outputs, which could be visible to local users or logged in system logs. The vulnerability requires low privileges (local access with limited rights) and does not require user interaction, making exploitation feasible in environments where an attacker has some CLI access. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 5.5 (medium severity), reflecting the high confidentiality impact but no impact on integrity or availability. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild. The affected versions are all versions of Infinispan, indicating a need for patching or mitigation across deployments. The root cause is insufficient sanitization or filtering of sensitive data in error messages generated by the CLI, which is a common security oversight. This vulnerability is particularly relevant in Kubernetes environments where secrets are commonly stored as Base64-encoded strings and accessed by applications like Infinispan. If exploited, an attacker with local CLI access could retrieve sensitive passwords, potentially leading to further compromise of the system or connected services.

For European organizations, the primary impact of CVE-2025-5731 is the potential exposure of sensitive Kubernetes secret passwords through error messages in the Infinispan CLI. This exposure compromises confidentiality, potentially allowing attackers or unauthorized users with local access to obtain credentials that could be used to escalate privileges or access other sensitive systems. While the vulnerability does not directly affect integrity or availability, the leaked credentials could facilitate further attacks, including lateral movement or data exfiltration. Organizations heavily using Kubernetes and Red Hat Infinispan for caching or data grid services are at higher risk. The medium severity rating reflects that exploitation requires local access with low privileges and no user interaction, limiting remote exploitation but still posing a significant risk in multi-tenant or shared environments. The absence of known exploits in the wild suggests the threat is currently theoretical but should be addressed proactively. Failure to mitigate this vulnerability could lead to compliance issues under GDPR if sensitive data is exposed or mishandled. Additionally, the exposure of secrets could undermine trust in containerized and cloud-native deployments prevalent in European enterprises.

To mitigate CVE-2025-5731, European organizations should implement the following specific measures: 1) Apply patches or updates from Red Hat as soon as they become available to address the error message handling in Infinispan CLI. 2) Restrict access to the Infinispan CLI to trusted administrators only, using strict role-based access controls and limiting local user permissions to prevent unauthorized CLI usage. 3) Review and sanitize error handling code or configurations to ensure sensitive data such as passwords are never included in error messages or logs. 4) Implement monitoring and alerting on logs and error outputs for any accidental exposure of sensitive information. 5) Use Kubernetes secrets management best practices, including encryption at rest and in transit, and consider using external secrets management solutions to reduce direct exposure. 6) Conduct regular security audits and penetration testing focused on secret handling and CLI interfaces. 7) Educate developers and operators about secure error handling and the risks of exposing sensitive data in logs or error messages. These steps go beyond generic advice by focusing on access control, error message sanitization, and proactive monitoring tailored to the specific nature of this vulnerability.