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Db2Application · Ibm

CVE-2018-1449

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.0 Published 2018-05-25
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
IBM DB2 for Linux, UNIX and Windows (includes DB2 Connect Server) 9.7, 10.1, 10.5, and 11.1 contains a vulnerability that could allow a local user to overwrite arbitrary files owned by the DB2 instance owner. IBM X-Force ID: 140044.

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 confidence

IBM DB2 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows versions 9.7, 10.1, 10.5, and 11.1 contains a local privilege escalation vulnerability where an authenticated local user can exploit improper file permission handling to overwrite arbitrary files owned by the DB2 instance owner, potentially leading to escalation of privileges or denial of service.

MitigationApply the IBM patch for CVE-2018-1449 (consult IBM Support for APAR numbers and patches specific to each affected DB2 version). As a compensating control, restrict local system access to trusted users and review file permissions on DB2 instance directories.

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:= 9.7= 10.1= 10.5= 11.1

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
High
Availability
None

CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N

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 DB2 installation and version
    Run the command 'db2level' or 'db2pd -version' as the DB2 instance owner or system administrator. This displays the installed DB2 version and fix pack level.
    Affected if The displayed version matches 9.7, 10.1, 10.5, or 11.1 (any fix pack within these major versions).
  2. Verify DB2 instance owner account
    Run 'db2 get instance' to identify the DB2 instance owner user account. Then check the home directory of that user (typically /home/<instance_owner> or as defined during installation).
    Affected if The instance owner home directory exists and contains DB2 configuration files and scripts accessible for modification.
  3. Inspect file permissions on DB2 instance directories
    List file permissions using 'ls -la' on DB2 instance directories such as the sqllib directory, specifically checking scripts and configuration files owned by the instance owner. Look for world-writable permissions or permissions allowing other local users to modify files.
    Affected if Files or directories exist with permissions that allow authenticated local users (other than the instance owner) to write or modify files owned by the DB2 instance owner.
  4. Check for untrusted local user accounts
    Review local system user accounts using 'getent passwd' or similar commands. Identify any non-privileged local users who are not the DB2 instance owner but have local system access.
    Affected if There are local user accounts besides the DB2 instance owner who can authenticate to the system.

A system is affected if it runs any version of IBM DB2 9.7, 10.1, 10.5, or 11.1 and allows untrusted local users to authenticate, with DB2 instance directories having permissive file permissions that could be exploited to overwrite files owned by the instance owner.

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

Apply the IBM patch for CVE-2018-1449 (consult IBM Support for APAR numbers and patches specific to each affected DB2 version). As a compensating control, restrict local system access to trusted users and review file permissions on DB2 instance directories.

Fix this in Db2 Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
13.0 hours of engineering $2,280
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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-2018-1449 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
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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