CVE-2025-36096 | AIX Insufficiently Protected Credentials

IBM AIX 7.2, and 7.3 and IBM VIOS 3.1, and 4.1 stores NIM private keys used in NIM environments in an insecure way which is susceptible to unauthorized access by an attacker using man in the middle techniques.

Published: 2025-11-13 Last update: 2025-11-19 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]

Conclusion & alert: CVE-2025-36096 is rated Low Risk (38.8/100): CVSS Critical severity, with low exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.03%). Mandatory action: Monitor for updates and reassess as exploit intelligence or EPSS changes.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2025-36096

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-04-11 0.06% 0.03% -0.03%
2 2025-11-19 0.04% 0.06% +0.01%
3 2025-11-14 0.04%

Full EPSS history (3 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2025-36096

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
9.0 3.1 CRITICAL
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:H)
Even with access, the exploit needs extra luck, timing, or a fussy environment to actually work.
Privileges required (PR:N)
No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:C)
Breaking this can reach past the original component and bite other resources—bigger blast radius.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
2.2 6.0 [email protected]
8.1 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:H)
Even with access, the exploit needs extra luck, timing, or a fussy environment to actually work.
Privileges required (PR:N)
No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
2.2 5.9 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2025-36096

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2025-36096

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
ibm vios 3.1.0 cpe:2.3:a:ibm:vios:3.1.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
ibm vios 4.1.0 cpe:2.3:a:ibm:vios:4.1.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
ibm aix 7.2 cpe:2.3:o:ibm:aix:7.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
ibm aix 7.3 cpe:2.3:o:ibm:aix:7.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2025-36096

cvelogic Threat Intelligence