CVE-2025-7519 is a vulnerability identified in polkit, a system service responsible for managing system-wide privileges in Linux environments, specifically affecting Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10. The vulnerability arises from improper handling of XML policy files containing 32 or more nested elements, leading to an out-of-bounds write condition. This memory corruption flaw can cause the polkit service to crash or behave unpredictably, and there is a potential for arbitrary code execution, although exploitation requires a high-privilege user to place a crafted malicious policy file. The attack vector is local (AV:L), with low attack complexity (AC:L), but requires high privileges (PR:H) and no user interaction (UI:N). The scope is unchanged (S:U), and the impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability is high (C:H/I:H/A:H). The vulnerability is significant because polkit is a critical component for privilege escalation control on Linux systems, and exploitation could lead to full system compromise. No public exploits are currently known, and no patches are linked yet, but the issue is published and should be addressed promptly. The vulnerability affects Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, a widely used enterprise Linux distribution, making it relevant for many organizations relying on this platform for critical workloads.

For European organizations, exploitation of CVE-2025-7519 could lead to severe consequences including unauthorized privilege escalation, system crashes, and potential arbitrary code execution on critical servers running Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10. This could disrupt business operations, compromise sensitive data, and undermine system integrity and availability. Organizations in sectors such as finance, healthcare, government, and critical infrastructure that rely on Red Hat Enterprise Linux for secure and stable operations are particularly at risk. The requirement for a high-privilege account to deploy the malicious policy file somewhat limits the attack surface but does not eliminate risk, especially in environments where insider threats or compromised administrative accounts exist. The vulnerability could be leveraged as part of a multi-stage attack to gain persistent control or move laterally within networks. Given the medium CVSS score but high impact on core security properties, the threat should be taken seriously.

European organizations should implement the following specific mitigations: 1) Immediately monitor and restrict access to directories and files where polkit policy files reside to prevent unauthorized modifications, ensuring only trusted administrators have write permissions. 2) Employ strict privilege management and auditing to detect any unusual high-privilege account activity, including creation or modification of policy files. 3) Apply any available patches or updates from Red Hat as soon as they are released; if patches are not yet available, consider temporary workarounds such as limiting the depth of XML policy nesting or disabling unnecessary polkit functionality where feasible. 4) Use host-based intrusion detection systems (HIDS) to monitor for anomalous polkit behavior or crashes that could indicate exploitation attempts. 5) Conduct regular security training for administrators to raise awareness about the risks of placing untrusted policy files. 6) Implement robust endpoint protection and system integrity verification to detect unauthorized changes. 7) Consider network segmentation to limit the impact of a compromised host. These measures go beyond generic advice by focusing on controlling the specific attack vector and monitoring the critical components involved.