CVE-2025-7738 is a vulnerability identified in Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform (AAP) version 2.5 running on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8. The issue arises from the Gateway API component, which returns the client secret associated with certain GitHub Enterprise authenticators in clear text when queried. This client secret is a sensitive credential used to authenticate and authorize interactions between Ansible Automation Platform and GitHub Enterprise services. The exposure occurs only to users with privileged access, such as administrators or auditors who manage or review authenticator configurations. While the vulnerability does not allow remote unauthenticated attackers to retrieve secrets, it significantly increases the risk that privileged users might accidentally or maliciously leak these credentials. The flaw does not affect the integrity or availability of the platform but compromises the confidentiality of authentication secrets, potentially enabling unauthorized access to GitHub Enterprise resources if the secrets are misused. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 4.4, reflecting a medium severity with network attack vector, high attack complexity, and requiring privileges but no user interaction. No public exploits or active exploitation have been reported to date. The vulnerability highlights the importance of secure handling and storage of sensitive credentials within automation platforms, especially those integrating with external code repositories and services.

For European organizations, the primary impact of CVE-2025-7738 is the increased risk of credential exposure within privileged user environments. Organizations relying on Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.5 for RHEL 8 integrated with GitHub Enterprise could face confidentiality breaches if client secrets are leaked or mishandled. This could lead to unauthorized access to source code repositories, potentially exposing intellectual property or enabling supply chain attacks. Although the vulnerability requires privileged access, insider threats or compromised administrator accounts could exploit this flaw to escalate access or move laterally. The lack of impact on integrity and availability limits direct operational disruption, but the confidentiality breach could have downstream effects on compliance, trust, and security posture. European entities in regulated sectors such as finance, healthcare, and critical infrastructure that use Ansible for automation and GitHub Enterprise for code management should be particularly vigilant. The medium severity rating suggests moderate urgency but does not warrant immediate emergency response unless combined with other risk factors.

To mitigate CVE-2025-7738, European organizations should implement the following specific measures: 1) Restrict and audit privileged user access to Ansible Automation Platform authenticator configurations to minimize exposure to client secrets. 2) Monitor and log all access to the Gateway API endpoints that return authenticator details to detect unusual or unauthorized queries. 3) Rotate client secrets for GitHub Enterprise authenticators regularly and immediately after any suspected exposure. 4) Apply any patches or updates released by Red Hat addressing this vulnerability as soon as they become available. 5) Consider implementing additional encryption or secret management solutions external to Ansible to store sensitive credentials securely. 6) Conduct security awareness training for administrators on the risks of handling cleartext secrets and best practices to avoid accidental leaks. 7) Evaluate the use of role-based access control (RBAC) and just-in-time privileged access to limit the number of users who can view sensitive authenticator information. These steps go beyond generic advice by focusing on access control, monitoring, credential hygiene, and patch management tailored to the specific vulnerability context.