Informix Dynamic ServerApplication · Ibm

CVE-2008-0368

HIGH · 7.2 CVSS v2.0 Published 2008-01-19
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
77/100
Remediation priority · High
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
onedcu in IBM Informix Dynamic Server (IDS) 10.x before 10.00.xC8 allows local users to create arbitrary files via the Trace file argument.

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

The onedcu utility in IBM Informix Dynamic Server (IDS) versions 10.x prior to 10.00.xC8 contains a vulnerability allowing local users to create arbitrary files on the system through the Trace file argument without proper validation. This local privilege escalation could enable an attacker to overwrite system files or place malicious content in privileged locations.

MitigationUpgrade IBM Informix Dynamic Server to version 10.00.xC8 or later to obtain the patch. Additionally, restrict filesystem permissions on the onedcu binary and ensure only authorized database administrators have access to the Informix installation directory.

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 ServerApplication
Affected:= 10.0

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

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. Check if IBM Informix Dynamic Server is installed
    Look for the Informix installation directory (commonly in /opt/informix or $INFORMIXDIR) and verify the presence of IDS binaries such as oninit, onmode, or onedcu.
    Affected if The product is not installed or no Informix directory exists.
  2. Verify the IDS version
    Run 'oninit -version' or check the version file in the Informix installation directory to determine the exact IDS version number.
    Affected if The installed version is 10.0.x where x is less than the C8 patch level (versions prior to 10.00.xC8).
  3. Locate the onedcu utility
    Search for the onedcu binary in the $INFORMIXDIR/bin directory or common Informix installation paths.
    Affected if The onedcu binary exists in the Informix bin directory.
  4. Check onedcu file permissions
    Run 'ls -la' on the onedcu binary to inspect owner, group, and world-readable/executable permissions.
    Affected if The binary is owned by root or informix and is world-executable, allowing unprivileged users to run it.

A user is affected if IBM Informix Dynamic Server version 10.0.x prior to 10.00.xC8 is installed AND the onedcu utility is present with permissions allowing unprivileged local user execution.

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

Upgrade IBM Informix Dynamic Server to version 10.00.xC8 or later to obtain the patch. Additionally, restrict filesystem permissions on the onedcu binary and ensure only authorized database administrators have access to the Informix installation directory.

Fix this in Informix Dynamic Server Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
30.0 hours of engineering $5,280
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Scan for this in your stack

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dbcve dependency scanner

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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-2008-0368 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • 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
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