CVE-2025-37735 is a vulnerability identified in Elastic Kibana versions 8.0.0 and 9.0.0, specifically affecting the Elastic Defend component on Windows hosts. The root cause is an improper preservation of permissions (classified under CWE-281), where the Defend service, which operates with SYSTEM-level privileges, does not correctly enforce file permission constraints. This flaw allows the service to delete arbitrary files on the host system. Since the Defend service runs with elevated privileges, an attacker with low-level local access can exploit this to delete critical system or application files, potentially leading to local privilege escalation. The vulnerability requires local access with low privileges and does not require user interaction, but the attack complexity is high due to the need to manipulate the Defend service's behavior. The impact spans confidentiality, integrity, and availability, as arbitrary file deletion can disrupt system operations, compromise data, or facilitate further privilege escalation. While no public exploits are currently known, the vulnerability's presence in widely used Elastic Kibana versions makes it a significant concern. The CVSS v3.1 score of 7.0 (AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) reflects a high-severity issue with local attack vector, high attack complexity, and significant impact on system security properties.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a substantial risk, especially those relying on Elastic Kibana for security monitoring, logging, and analytics on Windows environments. Exploitation could lead to unauthorized deletion of critical files, causing service disruptions, data loss, or enabling attackers to escalate privileges locally. This could undermine incident detection and response capabilities, impacting operational continuity and compliance with data protection regulations such as GDPR. Organizations in sectors with stringent security requirements—such as finance, healthcare, energy, and government—may face heightened risks. The potential for local privilege escalation also increases the threat landscape by enabling attackers to gain broader system control, potentially facilitating lateral movement or persistent access within networks. Given the widespread use of Elastic products in Europe, the vulnerability could affect a broad range of enterprises and public institutions.

1. Monitor Elastic's official channels for patches addressing CVE-2025-37735 and apply updates promptly once available. 2. Restrict local access to Windows hosts running Elastic Defend to trusted personnel only, minimizing the risk of low-privilege users exploiting the vulnerability. 3. Implement strict file system permissions and auditing on hosts to detect unauthorized file deletions or modifications, focusing on directories used by Elastic Defend. 4. Employ application whitelisting and endpoint protection solutions to monitor and control the behavior of the Defend service and related processes. 5. Conduct regular security assessments and penetration tests simulating local privilege escalation attempts to validate the effectiveness of controls. 6. Isolate critical Elastic Kibana instances and Windows hosts in segmented network zones to limit potential lateral movement in case of exploitation. 7. Educate system administrators and security teams about this vulnerability to ensure rapid detection and response to suspicious activities related to file deletions by the Defend service.