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Api ConnectApplication · Ibm

CVE-2019-4202

CRITICAL · 10.0 CVSS v3.1 Published 2019-04-15
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 5.0.8.6 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges 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 API Connect 5.0.0.0 and 5.0.8.6 Developer Portal is vulnerable to command injection. An attacker with a specially crafted request can run arbitrary code on the server and gain complete access to the system. IBM X-Force ID: 159123.

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 confidence

IBM API Connect 5.0.0.0 and 5.0.8.6 Developer Portal contains a command injection vulnerability. An unauthenticated attacker with a specially crafted HTTP request can execute arbitrary operating system commands on the server, achieving complete system compromise and full administrative access.

MitigationApply IBM's security patch for CVE-2019-4202 or upgrade to a fixed version of IBM API Connect. Given the CVSS 10 severity and evidence of active exploitation potential, immediate remediation and forensic review for existing compromise are critical.

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
Api ConnectApplication
Affected:>= 5.0.0.0, <= 5.0.8.6

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
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/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. Verify if IBM API Connect Developer Portal is enabled
    Log into the API Connect Management server and check the status of the Developer Portal component via the API Connect admin console or using the apic command: `apic status` or `apic services:list`
    Affected if Developer Portal is enabled and running as part of the API Connect installation
  2. Determine the installed IBM API Connect version
    Run the command `apic --version` or check the version through the API Connect Management console under the Settings > Version section. Alternatively, check the installation manifest or /opt/ibm/apic.version file if accessible.
    Affected if The version number is >= 5.0.0.0 and <= 5.0.8.6
  3. Confirm the Developer Portal component version
    Access the Developer Portal admin interface (typically at /apim/dashboard or /developer) and navigate to the About or Status page to view the specific portal component version.
    Affected if The Developer Portal version matches the vulnerable API Connect version range (5.0.0.0 through 5.0.8.6)
  4. Check for unauthorized shell access or suspicious processes
    Review system logs (typically located in /var/log/ or the API Connect installation logs directory) for unusual commands, reverse shells, or connections from unexpected IP addresses. Run `ps aux` to look for unfamiliar processes, especially shell interpreters spawned from web server processes.
    Affected if Unexpected processes, unfamiliar scripts, or suspicious outbound connections are found originating from the API Connect server

A system is affected if the Developer Portal component is enabled and the installed IBM API Connect version falls within the 5.0.0.0 to 5.0.8.6 range.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 5.0.8.6
Interim mitigation

Apply IBM's security patch for CVE-2019-4202 or upgrade to a fixed version of IBM API Connect. Given the CVSS 10 severity and evidence of active exploitation potential, immediate remediation and forensic review for existing compromise are critical.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

IBM API Connect 5.0.8.7 or later (or latest available 5.0.x fix pack)

  1. Identify the current IBM API Connect version by checking the API Connect deployment or consulting IBM documentation
  2. Contact IBM Support or access the IBM API Connect fix list to obtain the security patch for CVE-2019-4202
  3. Apply the security fix or upgrade to version 5.0.8.7 or later which contains the remediation for the command injection vulnerability
  4. After applying the fix, verify the Developer Portal is functioning correctly
  5. Test that the command injection vulnerability is no longer exploitable
Caveat Review IBM APAR (e.g., security fix documentation) for any known issues or configuration changes required by the security patch

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Api Connect Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
24.0 hours of engineering $4,160
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2019-4202 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