CVE-2025-7519 is a vulnerability identified in the polkit component used in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10. Polkit is a system service designed to define and handle authorizations, allowing unprivileged processes to communicate with privileged ones securely. The flaw arises when polkit processes an XML policy file containing 32 or more nested elements in depth. This specific input triggers an out-of-bounds write condition, where the program writes data outside the boundaries of allocated memory buffers. Such memory corruption can lead to a crash (denial of service) or potentially allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code. However, exploitation requires placing a malicious policy file, which demands a high-privilege account, limiting the attack vector to insiders or compromised privileged users. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 6.7, indicating a medium severity level, with the vector showing local attack vector (AV:L), low attack complexity (AC:L), high privileges required (PR:H), no user interaction (UI:N), unchanged scope (S:U), and high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability (C:H/I:H/A:H). No known exploits are currently in the wild, and no patches or mitigations are linked yet. This vulnerability could be leveraged by an attacker with elevated privileges to destabilize or take control of affected systems by crafting malicious deeply nested XML policy files, potentially leading to privilege escalation or system compromise.

For European organizations, especially those relying on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 in critical infrastructure, enterprise servers, or cloud environments, this vulnerability poses a risk of system instability or compromise if an attacker gains high-level access. The requirement for high privileges to place the malicious policy file reduces the likelihood of remote exploitation but increases the threat from insider attacks or lateral movement after initial compromise. Successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive data, disruption of services, or full system takeover, impacting confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Organizations in sectors such as finance, government, healthcare, and telecommunications, which often use Red Hat Enterprise Linux for secure and stable operations, could face operational disruptions or data breaches. Additionally, the lack of known exploits currently provides a window for proactive mitigation before active exploitation occurs.

1. Restrict and monitor access to directories and files where polkit policy files reside, ensuring only trusted administrators have write permissions. 2. Implement strict privilege separation and use multi-factor authentication for all high-privilege accounts to reduce risk of credential compromise. 3. Employ file integrity monitoring solutions to detect unauthorized changes to policy files. 4. Regularly audit system logs for suspicious activities related to policy file modifications or polkit service behavior. 5. Apply security updates and patches from Red Hat promptly once available. 6. Consider deploying runtime application self-protection (RASP) or memory protection mechanisms (such as Address Space Layout Randomization and stack canaries) to mitigate exploitation of memory corruption vulnerabilities. 7. Use configuration management tools to enforce consistent and secure policy file configurations across systems. 8. Educate system administrators about the risks of handling policy files and the importance of secure privilege management.