CVE-2014-4833 in Qradar Security Information And Event Manager
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Security QRadar SIEM QRM 7.1 MR1 and QRM/QVM 7.2 MR2 allows remote authenticated users to gain privileges via invalid input.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/26/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-4833 affects IBM Security QRadar SIEM QRM 7.1 MR1 and QRM/QVM 7.2 MR2 versions, representing a critical privilege escalation flaw that enables remote authenticated attackers to elevate their access rights within the system. This vulnerability resides in the authentication and authorization mechanisms of the QRadar Security Information and Event Management platform, specifically impacting the QRM (QRadar Risk Manager) and QVM (QRadar Virtual Machine) components that handle risk assessment and threat analysis functions. The flaw manifests when the system fails to properly validate user input during privilege-related operations, creating an avenue for malicious actors to manipulate system behavior through carefully crafted inputs.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation procedures within the QRadar platform's privilege management subsystem. When authenticated users submit requests containing malformed or unexpected input parameters, the system processes these inputs without adequate sanitization or verification, allowing attackers to exploit the system's trust in legitimate user credentials. This weakness enables unauthorized privilege escalation by manipulating the system's interpretation of user roles and access levels, potentially allowing attackers to assume administrative privileges or access restricted functionalities. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and requires only valid authentication credentials to exploit, making it particularly dangerous as it can be leveraged by insiders or compromised accounts.
The operational impact of CVE-2014-4833 extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as it fundamentally compromises the integrity of the QRadar platform's security model. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability could gain access to sensitive security data, modify system configurations, manipulate threat detection rules, or even disable security features entirely. This capability undermines the core security posture of organizations relying on QRadar for threat detection and incident response, potentially allowing attackers to remain undetected while conducting malicious activities. The vulnerability affects organizations using QRadar SIEM solutions for compliance monitoring, security operations, and risk assessment, where unauthorized access to system controls could result in significant data breaches or regulatory violations.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the latest security patches provided by IBM, which address the input validation flaws in the affected QRadar components. Network segmentation and access controls should be reinforced to limit the blast radius of potential exploitation, while monitoring should be enhanced to detect anomalous privilege escalation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-20, which describes improper input validation, and represents a pathway for techniques described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under privilege escalation tactics. Security teams should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments of their QRadar deployments, review user access controls, and implement comprehensive audit logging to detect potential exploitation attempts. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing additional security controls such as multi-factor authentication for privileged accounts and regular security assessments to identify similar vulnerabilities in their security infrastructure.