CVE-2016-2874 in QRadar SIEM
Summary
by MITRE
IBM QRadar SIEM 7.1 before MR2 Patch 13 and 7.2 before 7.2.7 mishandles authorization, which allows remote authenticated users to obtain sensitive information via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/13/2019
IBM QRadar SIEM version 7.1 before MR2 Patch 13 and 7.2 before 7.2.7 contains a critical authorization flaw that enables remote authenticated attackers to access sensitive information through unspecified vectors. This vulnerability represents a significant security weakness in the platform's access control mechanisms, potentially allowing unauthorized data exposure to users who should not have such privileges. The issue stems from improper handling of authorization checks within the system's security framework, creating a pathway for privilege escalation and information disclosure.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves weaknesses in the authorization subsystem that fails to properly validate user permissions and access rights. Attackers who have already established authenticated sessions can exploit this flaw to bypass normal access controls and retrieve confidential data that should be restricted to specific user roles or administrative functions. This authorization bypass vulnerability operates at the application layer and affects the core security architecture of the QRadar platform, potentially exposing sensitive logs, configuration data, user information, and other critical system details.
The operational impact of CVE-2016-2874 extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it fundamentally undermines the trust model of the SIEM platform. Organizations relying on QRadar for security monitoring and incident response may experience severe consequences including exposure of sensitive security events, compromise of forensic data, and potential lateral movement by attackers who can now access privileged information. This vulnerability affects the integrity and confidentiality assurances that security professionals expect from their SIEM solutions, potentially leading to extended detection times for actual security incidents and compromised forensic capabilities.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which addresses improper access control issues in software systems, and demonstrates characteristics consistent with ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and T1566 for credential harvesting. Organizations should immediately apply the vendor patches released for MR2 Patch 13 and 7.2.7 to address this authorization flaw. Additional mitigations include implementing network segmentation to limit access to QRadar systems, regularly reviewing user access permissions, monitoring for unusual access patterns, and conducting comprehensive security assessments of the SIEM environment. The vulnerability highlights the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and proper access control configurations in enterprise security platforms.