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Informix Dynamic ServerApplication · Ibm

CVE-2012-4857

HIGH · 9.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2012-12-08
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
Buffer overflow in IBM Informix 11.50 through 11.50.xC9W2 and 11.70 before 11.70.xC7 allows remote authenticated users to execute arbitrary code via a crafted SQL statement.

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

Buffer overflow vulnerability in IBM Informix database servers versions 11.50 through 11.50.xC9W2 and 11.70 before 11.70.xC7 allows remote authenticated users to execute arbitrary code through specially crafted SQL statements.

MitigationApply vendor patches (11.50.xC9W2 or later for 11.50 branch, 11.70.xC7 or later for 11.70 branch) and enforce least-privilege database user access 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
Informix Dynamic ServerApplication
Affected:= 11.50= 11.50.xc1= 11.50.xc2= 11.50.xc3= 11.50.xc3w1= 11.50.xc4= 11.50.xc4w1= 11.50.xc5= 11.50.xc5w2= 11.50.xc5w3= 11.50.xc5w4= 11.50.xc6

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. Identify the installed IBM Informix Dynamic Server version
    Run the command 'onstat -' or 'onmode -version' from the Informix installation directory, or check the version file in $INFORMIXDIR/etc/
    Affected if The version output shows 11.50 through 11.50.xC9W2, or 11.70 before 11.70.xC7 (for example: 11.50, 11.50.xC5, 11.50.xC9, 11.70.xC1, 11.70.xC6)
  2. Confirm SQL remote access is enabled
    Check the SQLHOSTS file and network configuration (onconfig parameters NETTYPE, LISTEN). Run 'onstat -g net' to see active network listeners
    Affected if The server is listening on TCP/IP for SQL connections (sqlexecd or oninit with network support)
  3. Verify remote authentication is possible
    Review database user accounts with CONNECT or DBA privileges. Check sqlhosts for REMOTE or SERVER entries that permit remote connections
    Affected if Any database user exists with remote login capabilities, as the attacker needs authenticated SQL access to exploit the flaw

You are affected if your Informix server version is 11.50 through 11.50.xC9W2 or 11.70 prior to 11.70.xC7, and remote authenticated SQL connections are allowed on your network.

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 vendor patches (11.50.xC9W2 or later for 11.50 branch, 11.70.xC7 or later for 11.70 branch) and enforce least-privilege database user access to reduce attack surface.

Recommended fix High confidence

IBM Informix Dynamic Server 11.70.xC7 or later (or a 11.50 version newer than 11.50.xC9W2)

  1. 1. Backup all Informix database instances and critical data before proceeding with the upgrade.
  2. 2. Review IBM Informix 11.70 release notes and migration guides for compatibility considerations.
  3. 3. Plan a maintenance window as the upgrade will require service interruption.
  4. 4. Upgrade IBM Informix Dynamic Server from version 11.50.xC3 (or any 11.50.x version) to version 11.70.xC7 or later.
  5. 5. Alternatively, if staying on the 11.50 branch is required, upgrade to a version newer than 11.50.xC9W2.
  6. 6. After upgrade, verify that the SQL statement that triggered the vulnerability is now properly handled without allowing arbitrary code execution.
  7. 7. Test critical database operations and applications to ensure functionality is maintained.
  8. 8. Monitor IBM security advisories for any further updates.
Caveat Upgrading across major version lines (e.g., 11.50 to 11.70) may introduce compatibility changes in SQL syntax, features, or configuration requirements; test thoroughly before production deployment

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

Fix this in Informix Dynamic Server Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,640
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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-2012-4857 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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