CVE-2005-3643
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedIBM DB2 Database server running on Windows XP with Simple File Sharing enabled, allows remote attackers to bypass authentication and log on to the guest account without supplying a password.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceIBM DB2 Database Server running on Windows XP with Simple File Sharing enabled allows remote attackers to bypass authentication mechanisms and log into the guest account without providing any password, granting unauthorized database access.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data= 7.1= 7.2= 8.0= 8.1= 8.1.4= 8.1.5= 8.1.6= 8.1.6c= 8.1.7= 8.1.7b= 8.1.8= 8.1.8aCVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Partial
- Integrity
- Partial
- Availability
- Partial
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify the operating systemRun 'systeminfo' on the command prompt or check System Properties to confirm the OS is Windows XP.Affected if The system is running Windows XP.
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Check DB2 versionRun 'db2level' from a DB2 command window or check the installed programs list to identify the DB2 version.Affected if The installed DB2 version matches one of: 7.1, 7.2, 8.0, 8.1, 8.1.4, 8.1.5, 8.1.6, 8.1.6c, 8.1.7, 8.1.7b, 8.1.8, or 8.1.8a.
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Verify Simple File Sharing statusOpen Folder Options in Windows Explorer, view the Security tab, or run 'net share' to check if Simple File Sharing is enabled. On XP, this is enabled by default when not on a domain.Affected if Simple File Sharing is enabled on the Windows XP system.
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Confirm guest account accessibilityRun 'net user guest' from an elevated command prompt or check User Accounts in Control Panel to see if the guest account is enabled and has no password set.Affected if The guest account is enabled and has a blank password, allowing unauthenticated access.
You are affected if the system runs Windows XP with IBM DB2 versions 7.1 through 8.1.8a, has Simple File Sharing enabled, and the guest account is accessible with a blank password, allowing remote attackers to gain unauthorized database access.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataDisable Simple File Sharing on the Windows XP system and disable or properly secure the guest account to prevent unauthenticated access. Alternatively, upgrade from Windows XP which is end-of-life and lacks security support.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2005-3643 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2005-3643 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data