CVE-2018-1565
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 could allow a local user to overflow a buffer which may result in a privilege escalation to the DB2 instance owner. IBM X-Force ID: 143022.
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 buffer overflow vulnerability that allows a local authenticated user to overflow a buffer and execute code with the privileges of the DB2 instance owner, achieving privilege escalation from standard user to DB2 instance administrator.
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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Identify DB2 installation and versionRun 'db2level' command or check 'db2diag.log' for version information. On Windows, also check Services list for DB2 instances.Affected if The installed version equals 9.7, 10.1, 10.5, or 11.1
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Verify DB2 instance is runningRun 'db2 list active databases' or check if db2sysc process is running (Linux/UNIX) or DB2 service is started (Windows).Affected if A DB2 instance is active and accepting connections, enabling local user authentication
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Confirm local user access to DB2Check for DB2 users with CONNECT privilege by running 'db2 get authorizations' or review OS-level user accounts in the DB2 administrators group.Affected if Standard (non-admin) authenticated users exist who can connect to the database
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Review DB2 instance owner privilegesCheck the DB2 instance owner account (db2admin on Windows, instance user on Linux/UNIX) and verify its permissions using 'db2 get dbm cfg' for instance-level settings.Affected if The DB2 instance owner has elevated privileges that could be obtained through exploitation
You are affected if DB2 versions 9.7, 10.1, 10.5, or 11.1 are installed and running with authenticated local user access, as the buffer overflow can be triggered to escalate to DB2 instance owner privileges.
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 IBM DB2 patches or upgrade to a fixed version as specified in IBM's security bulletin. Additionally, restrict local user permissions and monitor for unauthorized access attempts.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 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 $6,176.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-1565 — 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-2018-1565 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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