CVE-2008-0369
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 · uneditedMultiple unspecified programs in IBM Informix Dynamic Server (IDS) 10.x before 10.00.xC8 allow local users to create arbitrary files by specifying the target file in the SQLIDEBUG environment variable, whose ownership is changed to the user invoking the programs.
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 · moderate confidenceIBM Informix Dynamic Server (IDS) 10.x before 10.00.xC8 contains a vulnerability where certain unspecified programs allow local users to create arbitrary files by specifying the target file path in the SQLIDEBUG environment variable. The created files receive ownership of the user invoking the program, potentially allowing privilege escalation or arbitrary file creation with elevated privileges.
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= 10.00CVSS 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
- M
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Complete
- Integrity
- Complete
- Availability
- Complete
AV:L/AC:M/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify IBM Informix Dynamic Server versionRun 'onstat -' or check the version file typically located at $INFORMIXDIR/etc/onconfig, or use 'dm version' command from the Informix installation directoryAffected if Version is 10.x before 10.00.xC8 (e.g., 10.00, 10.00.xC1 through 10.00.xC7)
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Locate Informix installation directoryCheck environment variable $INFORMIXDIR or common default paths such as /opt/informix or /usr/informixAffected if INFORMIXDIR is set and points to an IDS installation within the affected version range
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Check SQLIDEBUG environment variable handlingReview Informix program behavior when SQLIDEBUG environment variable is set to an arbitrary file path - attempt to set SQLIDEBUG=/tmp/testfile and run any Informix utility (e.g., dbaccess) to see if the file is createdAffected if Setting SQLIDEBUG to a custom path results in file creation by an Informix utility running with elevated privileges
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Verify Informix binary permissionsList permissions on Informix binaries in $INFORMIXDIR/bin (e.g., ls -la $INFORMIXDIR/bin | grep -E 'oninit|onmode|ontape')Affected if Binaries are setuid or setgid to root or informix user, allowing privilege escalation through arbitrary file creation
You are affected if IBM Informix Dynamic Server version 10.00 through 10.00.xC7 is installed and any Informix utility can be induced to create files via the SQLIDEBUG environment variable.
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 dataUpgrade to IBM Informix Dynamic Server 10.00.xC8 or later, or apply the appropriate vendor-supplied patch. Restrict local access to trusted users and consider file permission audits.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing12.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2008-0369 — 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-2008-0369 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
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