CVE-2019-4220
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 InfoSphere Information Server 11.7.1.0 stores a common hard coded encryption key that could be used to decrypt sensitive information. IBM X-Force ID: 159229.
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 InfoSphere Information Server 11.7.1.0 contains a hardcoded, common encryption key embedded in the application code. This key is used to encrypt and decrypt sensitive information stored by the system. Since the same key exists across all installations, anyone who obtains this key through code review, reverse engineering, or other means can decrypt sensitive data in any affected deployment.
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= 11.7.1.0= 11.7.1.0CVSS 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
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
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 product versionQuery the IBM InfoSphere Information Server or IBM Watson Knowledge Catalog version using the product's built-in version information utility or system information interface. Typical methods include checking the product's About panel, running 'imversion' or 'dsadm version' commands if available, or inspecting the installation metadata files.Affected if The installed version equals 11.7.1.0 exactly, as this is the only version listed as affected for both products.
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Locate application configuration and library filesNavigate to the IBM InfoSphere Information Server or Watson Knowledge Catalog installation directory. Typical locations include the installation root folder, the 'plugins', 'lib', or 'conf' subdirectories where application binaries and configuration files are stored.Affected if The product installation directory exists and contains the application JAR files, DLLs, or configuration files where the hardcoded key would be embedded.
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Search for the hardcoded encryption keySearch within the application binary files, JAR archives, or configuration files for the hardcoded encryption key. Use string search tools (such as 'strings' on Linux/Unix or BinText on Windows) to extract readable strings from compiled binaries, or decompress and inspect JAR/WAR files for embedded keys or cryptographic material.Affected if A hardcoded, common encryption key is found embedded in the application code or configuration files. This key would appear as a static string used across all installations for encrypting and decrypting sensitive data.
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Verify sensitive data storage mechanismsExamine the system's data storage locations where sensitive information (credentials, configuration secrets, or protected data) is stored. Check whether these storage locations contain encrypted values that could potentially be decrypted using the hardcoded key.Affected if The system stores sensitive data that was encrypted using the embedded hardcoded key, making it accessible to anyone who obtains that key.
A user is affected if they are running IBM InfoSphere Information Server On Cloud or IBM Watson Knowledge Catalog version 11.7.1.0 and the hardcoded encryption key exists in their installation, allowing decryption of sensitive data.
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 patch or update when available. In the interim, identify data protected by this mechanism, rotate any potentially exposed credentials or sensitive information, and monitor for signs of unauthorized access using the compromised key.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 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 $5,408.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2019-4220 — 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-2019-4220 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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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.
- 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