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Db2Application · Ibm

CVE-2012-3324

HIGH · 9.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2012-09-25
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
96/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable 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
Directory traversal vulnerability in the UTL_FILE module in IBM DB2 and DB2 Connect 10.1 before FP1 on Windows allows remote authenticated users to modify, delete, or read arbitrary files via a pathname in the file field.

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

Directory traversal vulnerability in the UTL_FILE module of IBM DB2 and DB2 Connect 10.1 before FP1 on Windows allows remote authenticated users to read, modify, or delete arbitrary files on the host system by supplying path traversal sequences in the file parameter.

MitigationApply IBM DB2 Fix Pack 1 or later to patch the vulnerability. Additionally, restrict UTL_FILE privileges to only essential database users and enforce least-privilege principles for database accounts.

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:all versions
Db2 ConnectApplication
Affected:= 10.1

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
Single
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:L/Au:S/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. Confirm IBM DB2 is installed on Windows
    Check for DB2 installation directory (typically C:\Program Files\IBM\DB2) or run 'db2level' command from Command Prompt
    Affected if IBM DB2 or DB2 Connect is installed on the Windows system
  2. Identify the installed DB2 version
    Run 'db2level' or 'db2pd -version' from a DB2 command window. For DB2 Connect specifically, also check the exact version number reported (e.g., 10.1.0.0)
    Affected if Version is 10.1 without Fix Pack 1 or later, or for older versions of IBM DB2 that have not been patched
  3. Verify UTL_FILE module exists in the database
    Connect to the database as a privileged user and query SYSCAT.ROUTINES for routine name 'UTL_FILE' or execute: SELECT ROUTINENAME FROM SYSCAT.ROUTINES WHERE ROUTINENAME = 'UTL_FILE'
    Affected if The UTL_FILE routine is present in the database
  4. Check if UTL_FILE is accessible to non-admin users
    Query SYSCAT.ROUTINEAUTH for permissions on UTL_FILE, or check which database users/grants have EXECUTE privilege on the UTL_FILE package/routine
    Affected if Regular database users (non-admin) have EXECUTE permission on UTL_FILE, making the traversal vulnerability exploitable by those users
  5. Test basic file access capability (if UTL_FILE is available)
    As a test, a DBA can verify UTL_FILE is functional by attempting to read a known file outside the intended directory (this is a verification check, not a remediation)
    Affected if UTL_FILE can read files from arbitrary paths, confirming the vulnerability is present
  6. Confirm Windows host platform
    Verify the DB2 instance runs on Windows (the vulnerability is specific to Windows platforms according to the CVE description)
    Affected if DB2 is running on Windows OS

A user is affected if IBM DB2 or DB2 Connect is installed on Windows with UTL_FILE module accessible to authenticated users, and the version is either 10.1 without Fix Pack 1 or later, or any unpatched version of IBM DB2.

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 IBM DB2 Fix Pack 1 or later to patch the vulnerability. Additionally, restrict UTL_FILE privileges to only essential database users and enforce least-privilege principles for database accounts.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

IBM DB2 / DB2 Connect 10.1 Fix Pack 1 or later

  1. Verify the current IBM DB2 or DB2 Connect version installed on Windows using 'db2level' command
  2. If running DB2 Connect 10.1 without Fix Pack applied, download and install IBM DB2 Version 10.1 Fix Pack 1 or later from IBM Fix Central (https://www.ibm.com/support/fixcentral/)
  3. For DB2 (non-Connect editions), apply the latest available Fix Pack for your specific version as all versions are affected
  4. After applying the fix pack, verify the installation by running 'db2level' to confirm the FP1 or later version is installed
  5. Restart DB2 services if required after the fix pack installation
Caveat Review IBM DB2 fix pack release notes for any known issues or configuration changes that may affect existing applications

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

Fix this in Db2 Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,570
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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-2012-3324 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