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Db2Application · Ibm

CVE-2010-3731

HIGH · 10.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2010-10-05
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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
Stack-based buffer overflow in the validateUser implementation in the com.ibm.db2.das.core.DasSysCmd function in db2dasrrm in the DB2 Administration Server (DAS) component in IBM DB2 9.1 before FP10, 9.5 before FP6a, and 9.7 before FP3 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a long username string.

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

Stack-based buffer overflow in the DB2 Administration Server's validateUser function in db2dasrrm allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code by sending a specially crafted long username string.

MitigationApply the appropriate IBM DB2 Fix Pack (FP10 for v9.1, FP6a for v9.5, FP3 for v9.7 or later) from IBM Fix Central. If immediate patching is not possible, restrict network access to the DAS service (db2dasrrm) to reduce attack surface.

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
Db2Application
Affected:= 9.5

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
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/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 DB2 is installed
    Run 'db2level' or 'db2pd -version' from a DB2 instance user account to retrieve the installed DB2 version information
    Affected if The command fails or DB2 is not found, meaning DB2 is not installed and the system is not affected
  2. Identify the exact DB2 version
    Locate the version number in the output of db2level (typically shown as 'DB2 v9.5' or similar)
    Affected if The version is exactly 9.5 (any subversion like 9.5.0 through 9.5.x) - other versions like 9.1, 9.7, or 10.x are not affected by this specific CVE
  3. Determine if the DAS service is enabled
    Run 'db2pd -das list' or check the status of the db2dasrrm process using 'ps -ef | grep db2dasrrm' on Unix, or check the service via Windows Services console on Windows
    Affected if The DAS (DB2 Administration Server) is actively running - this is the component containing the vulnerable validateUser function
  4. Verify network exposure of DAS
    Check the DAS configuration by running 'db2dasicfg get' or reviewing db2diag.log files for remote connection attempts to the DAS port (default 523)
    Affected if The DAS is reachable from network locations - the vulnerability is exploitable remotely via specially crafted username strings sent to this service

A system is affected only if it runs DB2 version 9.5 with the DB2 Administration Server (db2dasrrm) enabled and exposed, allowing remote attackers to send a long username string to trigger the buffer overflow.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the appropriate IBM DB2 Fix Pack (FP10 for v9.1, FP6a for v9.5, FP3 for v9.7 or later) from IBM Fix Central. If immediate patching is not possible, restrict network access to the DAS service (db2dasrrm) to reduce attack surface.

Recommended fix High confidence

DB2 9.5 Fix Pack 6a or later (IBM recommends moving to the latest available fix pack for version 9.5)

  1. 1. Determine current DB2 version and fix pack level: db2level command
  2. 2. Stop the DB2 Administration Server (DAS): db2admin stop
  3. 3. Download IBM DB2 Fix Pack 6a (or later) for version 9.5 from IBM Fix Central (https://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?rs=71&uid=swg27015126)
  4. 4. Extract and install the fix pack as the DB2 instance owner: ./installFixPack -p /opt/ibm/db2/V9.5fp6a
  5. 5. Start the DB2 Administration Server: db2admin start
  6. 6. Verify the fix pack level: db2level
  7. 7. Confirm the vulnerability is remediated by checking that the version shows FP6a or higher
Caveat Consider that DB2 9.5 reached End of Support; plan migration to a currently supported version (9.7 FP5+, 10.1+, or 10.5+)

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Db2 Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,580
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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-2010-3731 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data