Release Notes

Abstract

This technical note contains installation instructions, and a list of new features and resolved issues for the IBM Security QRadar 7.5.0 Update Package 6 (7.5.0-QRADAR-QRSIEM-20230519190832) SFS. These instructions are intended for administrators who are upgrading to QRadar 7.5.0 Update Package 6 by using an SFS file.

Content

What's New

For more information on new and changed features in QRadar 7.5.0, see What's new in 7.5.0.

Security change reminder for QRadar on Cloud

The SAASADMIN capability is now restricted to the Admin security profile. During the upgrade to QRadar 7.5.0 Update Package 6 any user or authorized service that has a User role with the SAASADMIN and a non-Admin security profile will be considered invalid and updated to the Disabled user role.

Security update - disabled cipher suites

To enhance the default security of your QRadar deployment, the following cipher suites are now disabled.

jdk.tls.disabledAlgorithms=SSLv3, TLSv1, TLSv1.1, RC4, DES, MD5withRSA, DH keySize < 1024, DESede, EC keySize < 224, 3DES_EDE_CBC, anon, NULL, DES_CBC, SHA1, CBC, SSL_RSA_WITH_AES_128_GCM_SHA256, SSL_RSA_WITH_AES_256_GCM_SHA384, TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA, SSL_RSA_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA, TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_256_CBC_SHA, SSL_RSA_WITH_AES_256_CBC_SHA, SSL_RSA_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA256, SSL_RSA_WITH_AES_256_CBC_SHA256

Some older integrations could be impacted by this change.

Precheck added for postgresql11 migration

A precheck is added to check all hosts in your QRadar deployment to ensure that all hosts meet the free space requirements for postgresql 11 migration and upgrading. This precheck tests only to verify whether there is enough space to migrate the data and upgrade postgresql. If you launch the update package from your QRadar Console, the precheck checks all hosts in your deployment. Otherwise, it checks only the current host.

The postgresql 11 precheck is independent of the disk space requirements that are calculated by the update package. The update package determines the space required to upgrade the postgresql databases, as well as other RPMs and files needed for install/upgrade/copy.

Upgrading SOAR app might be required

If the IBM SOAR QRadar Plugin app is installed, you must upgrade to version 4.05 before you install QRadar 7.5.0 Update Package 5.

New certificate files to fix security browser warning

In QRadar 7.5.0 Update Package 5, vault has been replaced by QRadar certificate authority (CA) and intermediate CA. For more information, see Fixing the certificate security browser warning.

Adding QNI hosts to the Data Synchronization app

You can add QRadar Network Insight hosts to the QRadar® Data Synchronization app. For more information, see IBM QRadar Data Synchronization app.

Known Issues

QFlow services can experience service start or restart issues due to libpcap update for older avx2 processors

Determine if your appliance supports avx2 before updating to QRadar 7.5.0 Update Package 6.

For more information, see IJ48422.

Running pretest for 7.5.0 UP6 without upgrading causes QNI and QIF RPMs to be removed

When running a pretest to upgrade QRadar 7.5.0 UP6 while using the -t flag, some RPMs required by QNI and QIF are removed and prevents QNI and QIF to function properly.

For more information, see IJ47623.

Risks tab might not load after an upgrade to QRadar 7.5.0 Update Package 6

An issue can occur where the Risks tab does not load as expected after an upgrade from QRadar 7.5.0 Update Package 5 to 7.5.0 Update Package 6.

To resolve the issue, see Risks tab does not display after an upgrade to 7.5.0 UP6 (IJ47049).

Upgrades to QRadar 7.5.0 UP6 might take longer to complete due to glusterfs file cleanup

Important: Upgrades to QRadar 7.5.0 Update Package 6 might take an extended amount of time to complete due to glusterfs file cleanup. You must allow the upgrade to continue uninterrupted.

For more information, see IJ45878.

After upgrading to QRadar 7.5.0 Update Package 5, WinCollect 7.X agents can experience management or configuration change errors

Important: A flash notice exists for this issue. For the latest information, see https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/6953887.

Autoupdates (AU) issue after upgrade to QRadar 7.5.0 or later
It is possible for autoupdates to revert to a previous version of autoupdates after upgrading. This causes autoupdate to not work as intended.

After you upgrade to QRadar 7.5.0 or later, type the following command to check your autoupdate version:

/opt/qradar/bin/UpdateConfs.pl -v

Review the issue and the resolution section for your auto update version on the following technical note, https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/6515880.

Docker services do not start when 7.2.8 or earlier appliances are updated to 7.5.0 Update Package 2 Interim Fix 02 or 7.5.0 Update Package 3
Docker services fail to start on QRadar appliances that were originally installed at version 7.2.8 or earlier, then upgraded to 7.5.0 Update Package 2 Interim Fix 02 or 7.5.0 Update Package 3.

Before you upgrade to QRadar 7.5.0 Update Package 2 Interim Fix 02 run the following command from the QRadar Console:

xfs_info /store | grep ftype

Review the output to confirm the ftype setting. If the output setting displays "ftype=0", do not proceed with the upgrade to 7.5.0 Update Package 2 Interim Fix 02 or 7.5.0 Update Package 3.

For more information, see IJ41796.

Apps might go down during base image upgrade

After you install QRadar 7.5.0, your applications might go down temporarily while they are being upgraded to the latest base image.

Apps fail to restart after upgrade

After upgrading some apps remain in "error" state on deployments with 30+ apps. Restart the apps by using the qappmanager: /opt/qradar/support/qappmanager

For more information, see About the qappmanager support utility.

Issue adding Data Nodes to a cluster

When adding a Data Node to a cluster, they must either all be encrypted, or all be unencrypted. You cannot add both encrypted and unencrypted Data Nodes to the same cluster.

Kernel crash can affect UEFI systems in QRadar 7.4.0 Fix Pack 3 through to QRadar 7.4.3 Fix Pack 2.

If you are planning to upgrade from any version of QRadar 7.4.0 Fix Pack 3 through to QRadar 7.4.3 Fix Pack 2, contact support.
For more information, see IJ44385.

Hosts with EFI firmware and Secure Boot enabled may become unresponsive.
To avoid this problem, you must import the IBM public key contained on the SFS into the system keyring before patching. For more information, see Updating a Secure Boot enabled system.

Resolved Issues

For a list of APAR links of resolved issues in QRadar 7.5.0 Update Package 6, see Authorized Program Analysis Reports.

Some APAR links might take 24 hours to display properly after a software release is posted to IBM Fix Central.

The following is a list of APARs fixed in QRadar 7.5.0 Update Package 6

IJ29153: The /var/log partition can fill up due to the tomcat2.log file not being rotated.
IJ30091: Editing a managed host in a NAT group generates message "IP for host already exists in deployment".
IJ30703: Removing a failed QRadar app upgrade by using extensions management also removes the existing running installation.
IJ31092: QRadar patching can fail due to a free space check that fails.
IJ33166: Aggregated searches are showing the wrong flag for some IP addresses.
IJ34647: Upgrading to QRadar 7.4.3 results in a list of deprecated custom event properties being displayed.
IJ35016: Overridden identity properties can fail to display as expected in the log activity tab.
IJ35774: Out of memory for decapper on QRadar Network Insights host can occur in advanced inspection level.
IJ39771: Scheduled reports can run on raw data causing them to fail or take longer than expected to complete.
IJ39814: Postgresql uninstalled after hostservices restarts on standby high availability managed host.
IJ40522: Anomaly issues in 7.5.0 UP2 prevent rules wizard from launching and effects offense creation.
IJ41830: Truncated NVA configuration file can cause failures on deployed managed hosts.
IJ42465: Applications can time out or fail to load due to conman-mks secret encryption performance.
IJ43771: Offense emails might not send when custom properties in the agent-config.xml template use curly quotations.
IJ43779: High availability setup can fail when primary and secondary IP addresses are too similar.
IJ44076: After upgrading to 7.5.0, known_hosts keys can be removed unexpectedly causing SSH errors.
IJ44383: A user custom event property (CEP) can incorrectly display the owner as admin in the user interface.
IJ44384: Copying a custom property can incorrectly assign the original CEP owner (admin) to a new user.
IJ44435: QRoC SAASADMIN role unable to list all users associated with an asset.
IJ44580: QRadar apps fail to start or stop after editing an app host setting to disable encryption.
IJ44597: Application-related issues might occur due to docker keystore error.
IJ44637: Domain permission checks can impact performance in the CRE and might send events to store.
IJ44654: "Exception reading CRE rules" error in rules used in cause and effect tests due to NullPointerException.
IJ44655: Last 30 days in saved search AQL query is searching for information for 5 years.
IJ44661: QRadar namevaluepairparser can experience errors when the last value contains pair separator.
IJ44726: "Top category type" dashboard can cause performance issues, leading to Tomcat (UI) instability.
IJ45127: Radius authentication fails in 7.5.0 UP4 due to invalid attributes in configuration file.
IJ45153: QNI suspect content descriptions for cert flows can be "certificate invalid" if message header timestamp is invalid.
IJ45353: Console configuration changes in deployment actions can cause global rule issues.
IJ45383: Rule wizard interface refreshes unexpectedly when there is a valid QVM license but no assigned QVM component.
IJ45452: Daily reports run out of schedule and can ignore the wizards settings.
IJ45552: Inconsistent JSON custom property parsing for optimized payloads with double backslash characters.
IJ45660: Rule changes from the console might be rejected by the managed host when IMQ message queue is full.
IJ45736: QRadar unparsed logs incorrectly go to the consoles SIM generic log source.
IJ45778: Optimized JSON custom event properties with backslashes parse as N/A in the user interface.
IJ45878: QRadar upgrades to 7.5.0 Update Package 5 can take an extended amount of time to complete.
IJ45913: Custom event property definition window displays empty "field type" when creating new CEP.
IJ46246: File names from SMTP email traffic attachments are not reported in QNI 7.5.0.
IJ46357: Geographic data rules cause search and event pipeline issues when the location cache exceeds the spillover threshold.
IJ46418: Tuning changes can slow ecs-ec components resulting in delays and events routing to storage.
IJ46619: Enabled geographic data indexes can cause performance issues in QRadar 7.5.0 UP5.

Upgrade information

QRadar 7.5.0 Update Package 6 resolves reported issues from users and administrators from previous QRadar versions. This cumulative software update fixes known software issues in your QRadar deployment. QRadar software updates are installed by using an SFS file, and update all appliances attached to the QRadar Console.

The 750-QRADAR-QRSIEM-2021.6.6.20230519190832 SFS file can upgrade the following QRadar versions to QRadar 7.5.0 Update Package 6:

QRadar 7.3.2 (All versions from Fix Pack 3 to Fix Pack 7)
QRadar 7.3.3 (All versions from GA to Fix Pack 10)
QRadar 7.4.0 (All versions from GA to Fix Pack 4)
QRadar 7.4.1 (All versions from GA to Fix Pack 2)
QRadar 7.4.2 (All versions from GA to Fix Pack 3)
QRadar 7.4.3 (All versions from GA to Fix Pack 9)
QRadar 7.5.0 (All versions before Update Package 6)

However, this document does not cover all of the installation messages and requirements, such as changes to appliance memory requirements or browser requirements for QRadar. To review any additional requirements, see the QRadar Upgrade Guide.

See QRadar: Software update check list for administrators for a list of steps to review before you update your QRadar deployment.

Before you begin

Ensure that you take the following precautions:

Back up your data before you begin any software upgrade. For more information about backup and recovery, see the QRadar Administration Guide.
To avoid access errors in your log file, close all open QRadar sessions.
The QRadar software update cannot be installed on a managed host that is at a different software version from the Console. All appliances in the deployment must be at the same software revision to update the entire deployment.
Verify that all changes are deployed on your appliances. The update cannot install on appliances that have changes that are not deployed.
If this is a new installation, review the instructions in the QRadar Installation Guide.

Installing the QRadar 7.5.0 Update Package 6 Software Update

These instructions guide you through the process of upgrading an existing QRadar version to QRadar 7.5.0 Update Package 6. To update appliances in parallel, see: QRadar: How to Update Appliances in Parallel.

Procedure

Download the software update to install QRadar 7.5.0 Update Package 6 from the IBM Fix Central website:

https://www.ibm.com/support/fixcentral/swg/quickorder?parent=IBM%20Security&product=ibm/Other+software/IBM+Security+QRadar+SIEM&release=7.5.0&platform=Linux&function=fixId&fixids=7.5.0-QRADAR-QRSIEM-20230519190832&includeRequisites=1&includeSupersedes=0&downloadMethod=ddp&source=fc
Use SSH to log in to your Console as the root user.
To verify you have enough space (5GB) in /store/tmp for the QRadar Console, type the following command:
```
  df -h /tmp /storetmp /store/transient | tee diskchecks.txt
```
- Best directory option: /storetmp
  It is available on all appliance types at all versions. In QRadar 7.5.0 versions /store/tmp is a symlink to the /storetmp partition.

If the disk check command fails, retype the quotation marks from your terminal, then rerun the command. This command returns the details to both the command window and to a file on the Console named diskchecks.txt. Review this file to ensure that all appliances have at minimum 5GB of space available in a directory to copy the SFS before attempting to move the file to a managed host. If required, free up disk space on any host that fails to have less that 5GB available.

Note: In QRadar 7.3.0 and later, an update to directory structure for STIG-compliant directories reduces the size of several partitions. This can impact moving large files to QRadar.

To create the /media/updates directory, type the following command:
```
  mkdir -p /media/updates
```
Use SCP to copy the files to the QRadar Console to the /storetmp directory or a location with 5GB of disk space.
Change to the directory where you copied the patch file. For example,
```
  cd /storetmp
```

To mount the patch file to the /media/updates directory, type the following command:

  mount -o loop -t squashfs /storetmp/750-QRADAR-QRSIEM-2021.6.6.20230519190832.sfs /media/updates

To run the patch installer, type the following command:
```
  /media/updates/installer 
```
Note: The first time that you run the software update, there might be a delay before the software update installation menu is displayed.
Using the patch installer, select all.
- The all option updates the software on all appliances in the following order:
  1. Console
  2. No order required for remaining appliances. All remaining appliances can be updated in any order that you require.
- If you do not select the all option, you must select your Console appliance.
  
  As of QRadar 7.2.6 Patch 4 and later, you are only provided the option to update all or update the Console appliance. Managed hosts are not displayed in the installation menu to ensure that the Console is patched first. After the Console is patched, a list of managed hosts that can be updated is displayed in the installation menu. This change was made starting with QRadar 7.2.6 Patch 4 to ensure that the Console appliance is always updated before managed hosts to prevent upgrade issues.
  
  If you want to patch systems in series, you can update the Console first, then copy the patch to all other appliances and run the patch installer individually on each managed host. The Console must be patched before you can run the installer on managed hosts. When updating in parallel, there is no order required in how you update appliances after the Console is updated.
  
  If your Secure Shell (SSH) session is disconnected while the upgrade is in progress, the upgrade continues. When you reopen your SSH session and rerun the installer, the patch installation resumes.

Installation wrap-up

After the patch completes and you have exited the installer, type the following command:
```
  umount /media/updates
```
Clear your browser cache before you log in to the Console.
Delete the SFS file from all appliances.

Results

A summary of the software update installation advises you of any managed hosts that were not updated. If the software update fails to update a managed host, you can copy the software update to the host and run the installation locally.

After all hosts are updated, send an email to your team to inform them that they will need to clear their browser cache before they log in to the QRadar SIEM interface.

[{"Type":"MASTER","Line of Business":{"code":"LOB24","label":"Security Software"},"Business Unit":{"code":"BU059","label":"IBM Software w\/o TPS"},"Product":{"code":"SSBQAC","label":"IBM Security QRadar SIEM"},"ARM Category":[{"code":"a8m0z000000cwtdAAA","label":"Upgrade"}],"ARM Case Number":"","Platform":[{"code":"PF016","label":"Linux"}],"Version":"7.5.0"}]

Tips

Release of QRadar 7.5.0 Update Package 6 SFS (7.5.0-QRADAR-QRSIEM-20230519190832)