Content NavigatorApplication · Ibm

CVE-2019-4034

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2019-03-14
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable 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 Content Navigator 3.0CD is could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code on a user's workstation. When editing an executable file in ICN with Edit service, it will be executed on the user's workstation. IBM X-Force ID: 156000.

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 Content Navigator 3.0CD contains a vulnerability where the Edit service will execute arbitrary code on a user's workstation when editing executable files. An attacker could place a malicious executable file in ICN, trick a user into editing it via the Edit service, and achieve code execution on the victim's machine.

MitigationDisable or restrict the Edit service functionality for executable file types (e.g., .exe, .bat, .cmd, .msi, .dll) in IBM Content Navigator, or implement proper sandboxing/validation to prevent execution during edit operations.

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
Content NavigatorApplication
Affected:= 3.0.0

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify IBM Content Navigator installation and version
    Check the IBM Content Navigator installation directory or use the 'about' feature in the ICN administration console to determine the exact version number
    Affected if The installed version is exactly 3.0.0 (no patches or updates applied)
  2. Locate the Edit service configuration
    Access the IBM Content Navigator administration interface and navigate to the Desktop or Repository configuration settings to locate the Edit service settings, or inspect the 'PluginConfig.xml' or 'desktop-config.xml' files in the ICN configuration directory
    Affected if The Edit service is enabled and configured for use
  3. Verify executable file type associations
    In the ICN admin console, examine the file type mappings or MIME type configurations to see which file extensions are associated with the Edit service
    Affected if Executable file types (.exe, .bat, .cmd, .msi, .dll) are registered with the Edit action/operation
  4. Check for executable content in repositories
    Use ICN search or browse repository contents to identify if executable file types are stored and accessible within the ICN-managed repositories
    Affected if Executable files (.exe, .bat, .cmd, .msi, .dll) exist in repositories that ICN manages and are accessible for editing

You are affected if you are running IBM Content Navigator version 3.0.0, the Edit service is enabled, and executable file types are configured to open with the Edit service in your environment.

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

Disable or restrict the Edit service functionality for executable file types (e.g., .exe, .bat, .cmd, .msi, .dll) in IBM Content Navigator, or implement proper sandboxing/validation to prevent execution during edit operations.

Fix this in Content Navigator Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

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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-2019-4034 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
  • 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