CVE-2025-5988 is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability identified in the Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform (AAP) version 2.5 running on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8. Specifically, the vulnerability exists in the aap-gateway component, which acts as a proxy or intermediary between users and various internal components such as the controller, hub, and event-driven automation (eda) modules. The root cause is the absence of origin checking on requests forwarded by the gateway to these internal components. Normally, CSRF protections prevent unauthorized commands from being executed by verifying that requests originate from trusted sources. However, in this case, the gateway does not validate the origin of requests, allowing an attacker to craft malicious requests that appear legitimate to the backend components. This can lead to unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information, as the CVSS vector indicates a high impact on confidentiality. The attack vector is network-based, requiring the attacker to have some level of access to the network and low privileges but does not require user interaction, increasing the risk of automated exploitation. The vulnerability does not affect integrity or availability, meaning it does not allow modification or disruption of services directly. No public exploits have been reported yet, but the presence of this flaw in a widely used automation platform makes it a significant concern for organizations relying on Ansible for orchestration and automation tasks. The vulnerability was published in August 2025, with the issue reserved in June 2025, indicating a recent discovery and disclosure. The lack of patch links suggests that remediation may still be pending or in progress, emphasizing the need for vigilance and interim mitigations.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-5988 can be significant, especially for those heavily reliant on Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform for managing IT infrastructure, application deployment, and configuration management. The vulnerability could allow attackers to perform unauthorized actions that lead to the exposure of sensitive configuration data, credentials, or automation workflows, potentially enabling further attacks such as privilege escalation or lateral movement within the network. Confidentiality breaches could compromise compliance with stringent European data protection regulations like GDPR, leading to legal and financial repercussions. Although the vulnerability does not directly affect system integrity or availability, the information disclosure risks can undermine trust in automated processes and complicate incident response efforts. Organizations in sectors with high automation adoption—such as finance, telecommunications, manufacturing, and government—may face increased risks. Additionally, attackers exploiting this vulnerability could use it as a foothold to pivot to other critical systems, amplifying the overall impact on operational security.

To mitigate CVE-2025-5988, European organizations should first monitor Red Hat’s official advisories for patches or updates addressing this vulnerability and apply them promptly once available. In the interim, organizations can implement strict network segmentation and firewall rules to restrict access to the aap-gateway and associated components only to trusted hosts and users. Employing Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to detect and block suspicious CSRF-like request patterns targeting the gateway can reduce exposure. Additionally, organizations should audit and harden authentication and authorization configurations within the Ansible Automation Platform to minimize the privileges of users and services interacting with the gateway. Enabling and reviewing detailed logging and monitoring on the gateway and backend components can help detect anomalous or unauthorized requests early. Security teams should also educate users about the risks of CSRF and enforce secure development practices for any custom automation scripts or integrations. Finally, consider deploying multi-factor authentication (MFA) for access to the automation platform to add an additional layer of defense against unauthorized access.