CVE-2025-33119 is a vulnerability identified in IBM QRadar Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) software versions 7.5 through 7.5.0 UP14. The issue arises because user credentials are stored in plaintext or otherwise accessible form within configuration files that are included in source control repositories. This practice violates secure credential management principles and exposes sensitive passwords to any authenticated user who can access these configuration files. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-260, which concerns the storage of passwords in a recoverable format. Exploitation requires an attacker to have authenticated access to the QRadar system, but no further user interaction is needed, and the attack complexity is low. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 6.5, indicating a medium severity level, with a vector showing network attack vector (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), privileges required (PR:L), no user interaction (UI:N), unchanged scope (S:U), high confidentiality impact (C:H), and no impact on integrity or availability (I:N/A:N). While no public exploits are known, the exposure of credentials can lead to privilege escalation, lateral movement, or unauthorized access to sensitive security monitoring data. The vulnerability highlights a misconfiguration or insecure design in how QRadar manages sensitive information in its configuration lifecycle. IBM has not yet published patches or mitigation instructions, so organizations must rely on access control and credential management best practices until updates are available.

For European organizations, the exposure of credentials in QRadar configuration files can have significant consequences. QRadar is widely used for security monitoring and incident detection, often integrated with critical infrastructure and enterprise IT environments. If an attacker gains access to stored credentials, they could impersonate privileged users, manipulate security logs, or disable detection capabilities, undermining the entire security posture. Confidentiality breaches could lead to data leakage or facilitate further attacks such as lateral movement within networks. The vulnerability does not directly affect system integrity or availability but compromises trust in security monitoring tools. Organizations in sectors like finance, energy, telecommunications, and government are particularly at risk due to their reliance on SIEM solutions for compliance and threat detection. The medium severity rating suggests that while the vulnerability is serious, exploitation requires some level of authenticated access, limiting the attack surface to insiders or compromised accounts. Nonetheless, the potential for privilege escalation and data exposure makes this a critical concern for security teams.

To mitigate CVE-2025-33119, European organizations should immediately audit access permissions to QRadar configuration files and source control repositories to ensure only authorized personnel have access. Implement strict role-based access controls (RBAC) and monitor for unusual access patterns. Avoid storing plaintext or recoverable passwords in configuration files; instead, use secure vaults or encrypted credential stores integrated with QRadar. Regularly rotate credentials and enforce strong password policies. Until IBM releases official patches or updates, consider isolating QRadar management interfaces and restricting network access to trusted administrators. Enable comprehensive logging and alerting on configuration file access to detect potential abuse. Conduct security awareness training for administrators to prevent accidental credential exposure. Finally, maintain up-to-date backups of configuration files and system states to facilitate recovery if compromise occurs.