CVE-2018-1459
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 · uneditedIBM DB2 for Linux, UNIX and Windows (includes DB2 Connect Server) 9.7, 10.1, 10.5, and 11.1 is vulnerable to stack based buffer overflow, caused by improper bounds checking which could lead an attacker to execute arbitrary code. IBM X-Force ID: 140210.
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 confidenceIBM DB2 versions 9.7, 10.1, 10.5, and 11.1 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows contain a stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability caused by improper bounds checking. This could allow an authenticated attacker to execute arbitrary code by sending specially crafted requests to the DB2 server.
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= 9.7= 10.1= 10.5= 11.1CVSS 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
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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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Check installed DB2 versionRun the command `db2level` from a DB2 instance owner account or query `SELECT GET_VARCHAR_FOR_BIT_DATA(PRODUCT_ID) AS PRODUCT_ID, VERSIONNUMBER, BUILDLIST FROM SYSIBMADM.DB2PRODUCT_INFO;` connected to the databaseAffected if The version output shows 9.7, 10.1, 10.5, or 11.1 exactly
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Verify DB2 server is runningOn Windows check services named 'IBM DB2' or on UNIX run `ps -ef | grep db2sysc` to see if the DB2 process is activeAffected if DB2 server process is running and responds to connections, allowing an authenticated attacker to send malicious requests
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Confirm DB2 authentication is enabledCheck DB2 configuration by running `db2 get dbm cfg` and look for authentication settings in the outputAffected if Authentication is set to a value other than NONE, meaning valid DB2 credentials are required to connect and exploit the vulnerability
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Identify DB2 instance directoriesRun `db2pd -dbpath` or check the DB2 dump directory location via `db2 get dbm cfg | grep -i dump` to locate DB2 installation paths for further version verificationAffected if DB2 is installed and the version matches the affected versions 9.7, 10.1, 10.5, or 11.1
You are affected if your installed IBM DB2 version is exactly 9.7, 10.1, 10.5, or 11.1 and the DB2 server is running and accepting authenticated connections.
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 dataApply the appropriate IBM DB2 interim fix or upgrade to a patched version as specified in IBM's security bulletin. Prior to deployment, test in a non-production environment to ensure application compatibility.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing16.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $8,576.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-1459 — 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-2018-1459 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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