CVE-2025-36007 is a vulnerability identified in IBM QRadar SIEM version 7.5.0 through 7.5.0 Update Pack 13 Independent Fix 02, involving incorrect privilege assignment (CWE-266) to an update script. QRadar SIEM is a widely used security information and event management platform that aggregates and analyzes security data to detect threats. The vulnerability arises because an update script, which should have restricted privileges, is assigned excessive privileges, allowing an attacker with limited access to escalate their privileges on the system. The CVSS 3.1 score of 7.8 indicates a high severity, with the vector AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H meaning the attack requires local access with low complexity, privileges required are low, no user interaction is needed, and the impact affects confidentiality, integrity, and availability at a high level. Exploiting this flaw could allow an attacker to gain administrative control over the QRadar system, potentially manipulating security logs, disabling alerts, or compromising the entire security monitoring infrastructure. No public exploits have been reported yet, but the vulnerability is significant due to the critical role of QRadar in enterprise security operations. The lack of available patches at the time of disclosure means organizations must implement interim mitigations. The vulnerability was reserved in April 2025 and published in October 2025, indicating recent discovery and disclosure.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-36007 is substantial because QRadar SIEM is commonly deployed in large enterprises and critical infrastructure sectors such as finance, energy, telecommunications, and government. Successful exploitation could lead to full compromise of the SIEM platform, undermining the organization's ability to detect and respond to security incidents. This could result in undetected breaches, data exfiltration, manipulation of security logs, and disruption of security operations. The confidentiality, integrity, and availability of security monitoring data would be severely affected, increasing the risk of prolonged attacks and regulatory non-compliance under frameworks like GDPR. The requirement for local access limits remote exploitation but insider threats or attackers who gain initial footholds could leverage this vulnerability to escalate privileges and move laterally within networks. The absence of known exploits reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the threat, especially as attackers often develop exploits rapidly after disclosure.

European organizations should implement the following specific mitigations: 1) Immediately restrict and monitor local access to QRadar SIEM servers, ensuring only trusted administrators have such access. 2) Conduct a thorough audit of privilege assignments related to update scripts and other system components to identify and remediate excessive privileges. 3) Implement strict access controls and segmentation to limit the ability of low-privilege users to execute or modify update scripts. 4) Monitor system logs and SIEM activity for unusual behavior indicative of privilege escalation attempts, such as unexpected script executions or changes in user privileges. 5) Apply any IBM-provided patches or updates as soon as they become available. 6) Consider deploying host-based intrusion detection systems (HIDS) on QRadar servers to detect unauthorized privilege escalations. 7) Educate administrators about the risks of privilege escalation and enforce the principle of least privilege in all operational procedures. 8) Prepare incident response plans specifically addressing potential SIEM compromise scenarios to enable rapid containment and recovery.