dbcve.org
Api ConnectApplication · Ibm

CVE-2019-4203

CRITICAL · 9.8 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 can be exploited by app developers to download arbitrary files from the host OS and potentially carry out SSRF attacks. IBM X-Force ID: 159124.

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

The IBM API Connect 5.0.0.0 and 5.0.8.6 Developer Portal contains a vulnerability that allows authenticated app developers to download arbitrary files from the host operating system, potentially exposing sensitive system files. Additionally, the vulnerability can be exploited to carry out Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) attacks, allowing the attacker to make the server perform requests to internal or external resources.

MitigationApply the appropriate IBM security patch or upgrade to a fixed version of IBM API Connect that addresses CVE-2019-4203. Verify that Developer Portal access controls are properly configured for app developers.

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
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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. Check installed IBM API Connect version
    Run the version command for IBM API Connect (typically via 'apic status' or check the product version in the management interface)
    Affected if Version is >= 5.0.0.0 and <= 5.0.8.6
  2. Confirm Developer Portal is enabled
    Verify the Developer Portal component is installed and running in the API Connect environment
    Affected if Developer Portal is deployed and accessible to authenticated app developers
  3. Review API Connect logs for file access anomalies
    Examine Developer Portal access logs for requests attempting to access system files outside the expected document root (look for path traversal patterns)
    Affected if Logs show unauthorized file access attempts with path traversal sequences like '../' or access to sensitive system directories
  4. Inspect network logs for SSRF indicators
    Review API Connect or proxy logs for outgoing requests from the Developer Portal to internal infrastructure or unusual external endpoints
    Affected if Outbound requests from the Developer Portal target internal IP ranges, localhost, or unexpected internal services

You are affected if your IBM API Connect version falls within 5.0.0.0 through 5.0.8.6 and the Developer Portal component is enabled for app developers.

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 the appropriate IBM security patch or upgrade to a fixed version of IBM API Connect that addresses CVE-2019-4203. Verify that Developer Portal access controls are properly configured for app developers.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

IBM API Connect 5.0.8.7 or later (latest 5.0.x service refresh)

  1. Check current IBM API Connect version by navigating to the API Connect management console or using the 'apic version' CLI command
  2. Review the IBM API Connect support lifecycle and security bulletins for CVE-2019-4203
  3. Upgrade to IBM API Connect version 5.0.8.7 or later (or the latest available 5.0.x service refresh that includes the security fix)
  4. After upgrade, verify the Developer Portal is functioning correctly by testing file download functionality
  5. Confirm the SSRF vulnerability is remediated by reviewing IBM's security bulletin for this CVE
Caveat Review IBM API Connect 5.0.8.7 release notes for any compatibility notes; minor upgrades typically have minimal breaking changes but test in non-production first

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

Fix this in Api Connect Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,984.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2019-4203 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2019-4203 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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