CVE-2018-1710
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) 10.1, 10.5, and 11.1 tool db2licm is affected by buffer overflow vulnerability that can potentially result in arbitrary code execution. IBM X-Force ID: 146364.
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 confidenceBuffer overflow vulnerability in IBM DB2's db2licm license management tool affecting versions 10.1, 10.5, and 11.1 on Linux, UNIX, and Windows platforms. The overflow can allow arbitrary code execution.
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= 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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Verify DB2 is installedCheck for the presence of IBM DB2 installation directories or use system inventory tools. On Linux/UNIX, look for /opt/ibm or db2 installation paths. On Windows, check Program Files for IBM folder.Affected if DB2 is not installed, the system is not affected by this CVE.
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Identify DB2 versionRun 'db2level' command from a DB2 instance owner or check the installation logs/version files. The version output will show 10.1, 10.5, or 11.1.Affected if The installed version is exactly 10.1, 10.5, or 11.1 - these are the affected versions per the CVE.
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Locate the db2licm executableSearch for the db2licm binary in the DB2 installation bin directory (typically <DB2_install_path>/bin/db2licm). This is the license management tool where the buffer overflow exists.Affected if The db2licm tool exists and is present in the environment.
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Confirm db2licm is accessibleCheck file permissions on the db2licm executable to determine which users or groups can execute it. Attempt to run 'db2licm -h' or 'db2licm -v' to verify the tool is functional.Affected if The db2licm tool is executable by users who should not have license management privileges, increasing exposure to the vulnerability.
A system is affected if it runs IBM DB2 versions 10.1, 10.5, or 11.1 with the db2licm license management tool present and accessible.
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 fix packs or interim fixes from IBM Fix Central. Alternatively, restrict access to the db2licm executable to only authorized DB2 administrators until patches can be applied.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-1710 — 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-2018-1710 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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