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Informix Dynamic Database ServerDatabase / datastore · Ibm

CVE-2006-3860

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v2.0 Published 2006-08-17
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
IBM Informix Dynamic Server (IDS) before 9.40.xC7 and 10.00 before 10.00.xC3 allows allows remote authenticated users to execute arbitrary commands via the (1) "SET DEBUG FILE" SQL command, and the (2) start_onpload and (3) dbexp functions.

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 confidence

Command injection vulnerability in IBM Informix Dynamic Server (IDS) allows remote authenticated users to execute arbitrary OS commands via the SET DEBUG FILE SQL statement and the start_onpload and dbexp functions. Affects versions prior to 9.40.xC7 and 10.00.xC3.

MitigationApply vendor patches (9.40.xC7 or 10.00.xC3 and later) to resolve the vulnerability. Additionally, minimize the attack surface by restricting database user privileges to only necessary permissions and limiting network exposure of the Informix service.

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
Informix Dynamic Database ServerDatabase / datastore
Affected:= 7.3= 7.31_.xd8= 9.4= 9.40.tc5= 9.40.uc1= 9.40.uc2= 9.40.uc3= 9.40.uc5= 9.40.xc7= 10.0= 10.0_xc3

CVSS 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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Confirm IBM Informix Dynamic Server is installed
    Check for Informix processes running (e.g., oninit, onpsmadm) or look for Informix installation directories (typically $INFORMIXDIR or /opt/informix)
    Affected if No Informix processes or installation found means not applicable
  2. Identify the installed IDS version
    Run 'onstat -' or 'oninit -version' from the Informix bin directory, or query the sysmaster database: SELECT name, value FROM sysconfig WHERE name = 'version'
    Affected if Version is 9.40.xC6 or earlier, or 10.00.xC2 or earlier, or any 7.31.x version - these are in the vulnerable range
  3. Check if SET DEBUG FILE statement is executable
    Attempt to execute: SET DEBUG FILE TO 'filename' PIPE 'command'. This requires DBA or similar privileges. Check user role with: SELECT username, usertype FROM systables WHERE tabid > 99
    Affected if Statement executes without error and allows command piping - indicates vulnerable configuration
  4. Verify if start_onpload or dbexp functions are accessible
    Query available user-defined functions: SELECT funcname FROM sysprocauth WHERE funcname IN ('start_onpload', 'dbexp'). Also check with: SELECT routine_name FROM information_schema.routines WHERE routine_name LIKE '%onpload%'
    Affected if These functions exist and are accessible to the database user - potential attack vector present
  5. Check network exposure of Informix service
    Review sqlhosts file (typically $INFORMIXDIR/etc/sqlhosts) for network-enabled entries. Run 'netstat -an | grep informix_port' or check if listeners accept remote TCP connections
    Affected if Informix accepts remote TCP connections (not limited to localhost) - enables remote attack surface

If Informix is installed with a version prior to 9.40.xC7 or 10.00.xC3, and the database service is network-accessible with user accounts that have elevated privileges, the environment is likely affected by this command injection vulnerability.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply vendor patches (9.40.xC7 or 10.00.xC3 and later) to resolve the vulnerability. Additionally, minimize the attack surface by restricting database user privileges to only necessary permissions and limiting network exposure of the Informix service.

Fix this in Informix Dynamic Database Server Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing5.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
17.0 hours of engineering $2,970
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2006-3860 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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