CVE-2019-4069
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 Intelligent Operations Center (IOC) 5.1.0 through 5.2.0 does not properly validate file types, allowing an attacker to upload malicious content. IBM X-Force ID: 157014.
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 confidenceIBM Intelligent Operations Center versions 5.1.0 through 5.2.0 lacks proper file type validation in its upload functionality, allowing attackers to upload malicious files (such as executable scripts or webshells) to the server. This insecure file upload vulnerability could enable remote code execution if the uploaded files are subsequently accessed.
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>= 5.1.0, <= 5.2.0>= 5.1.0, <= 5.1.0.6>= 5.1.0, <= 5.2.1.1CVSS 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
- 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify installed version of IBM Intelligent Operations CenterCheck the product version through the IBM administrative console, installation directory metadata, or by querying the version endpoint if available. Common locations include installation logs or version manifest files in the product directory.Affected if The installed version is 5.1.0 through 5.2.0 for base IOC, 5.1.0 through 5.1.0.6 for Emergency Management, or 5.1.0 through 5.2.1.1 for Water Operations.
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Locate the file upload functionalityIdentify the web application's upload endpoint. This is typically found in the upload handler paths such as /upload, /fileUpload, or similar paths under the IOC web context. Check the web.xml deployment descriptor for servlet mappings related to file upload.Affected if The upload servlet or handler is present and accessible within the web application.
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Verify if file type validation is implementedInspect the file upload handler code or configuration for validation logic that checks file extensions, MIME types, or content (magic bytes). Look for allowlist-based validation versus missing/weak validation.Affected if No strict allowlist validation for file extensions and MIME types is found, or validation can be bypassed.
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Check upload directory configurationExamine the web server or application server configuration to determine where uploaded files are stored. Verify if the upload directory is within the webroot and whether script execution is disabled.Affected if Uploaded files are stored within the webroot directory or script execution is enabled in the upload directory.
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Test upload functionality with a non-executable file typeIf authorized in a non-production environment, attempt to upload a benign file (such as a text file) through the identified upload endpoint to confirm the feature is functional and accessible.Affected if The upload functionality accepts and stores files without proper validation constraints.
A user is affected if their IBM Intelligent Operations Center version falls within the affected ranges AND the file upload feature is accessible and lacks proper file type validation.
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 dataImplement strict allowlist-based file type validation including both extension and MIME type verification, plus magic byte/content validation. Store uploaded files outside the webroot and disable script execution in the upload directory.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation16.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2019-4069 — 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-2019-4069 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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