CVE-2018-1781
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 obtain root access by exploiting a symbolic link attack to read/write/corrupt a file that they originally did not have permission to access. IBM X-Force ID: 148804.
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 on Linux, UNIX, and Windows contain a symlink race condition that allows a local authenticated user to read, write, or corrupt files outside the intended permissions scope. By exploiting this symbolic link attack vector, a local attacker can escalate privileges to root access.
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 if IBM DB2 is installedRun command: db2level (Linux/UNIX) or db2level.exe (Windows) from DB2 bin directory, or check for DB2 installation directories like /opt/ibm/db2 (Linux/UNIX) or C:\Program Files\IBM\DB2 (Windows)Affected if DB2 is installed and the command returns version information
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Determine the installed DB2 version numberExecute: db2level | grep -i version or check the output of db2level command which displays the exact version (e.g., v9.7, v10.1, v10.5, v11.1)Affected if Version matches 9.7, 10.1, 10.5, or 11.1 exactly
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Verify DB2 is running with elevated privilegesCheck DB2 processes running as root or administrator: ps -ef | grep db2sysc (Linux/UNIX) or check Services.msc for DB2 service logon account (Windows)Affected if DB2 instance runs as root (Linux/UNIX) or Local System/administrator (Windows)
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Confirm DB2 is accessible to local authenticated usersCheck if local OS users have DB2 database user credentials or are members of DB2 admin groups, and can execute db2 commandsAffected if Local users have DB2 authentication and can execute DB2 commands
You are affected if IBM DB2 versions 9.7, 10.1, 10.5, or 11.1 are installed and running with root/system privileges accessible to local authenticated users.
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 IBM DB2 patch or upgrade to a patched version. Restrict local user permissions to the minimum required and monitor for suspicious file access patterns.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,888.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-1781 — 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-2018-1781 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data