Api ConnectApplication · Ibm

CVE-2019-4437

MEDIUM · 5.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2019-08-20
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 2018.4.1.6 or later.
See remediation →
62/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 2018.1 through 2018.4.1.6 may inadvertently leak sensitive details about internal servers and network via API swagger. IBM X-force ID: 162947.

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 API Connect versions 2018.1 through 2018.4.1.6 contains a flaw where the API swagger (OpenAPI) documentation inadvertently exposes sensitive internal server and network infrastructure details that should remain confidential.

MitigationApply the IBM fix for this vulnerability (upgrade to a patched version) or restrict public access to API swagger documentation and audit API definitions to remove any internal network information.

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:>= 2018.1.0, <= 2018.4.1.6

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
Low
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/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 checks

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

  1. Determine IBM API Connect installed version
    Use IBM API Connect management console or run 'apic status' or 'apic version' command from the CLI to retrieve the installed version number
    Affected if Version falls within 2018.1.0 through 2018.4.1.6 range
  2. Identify API swagger documentation endpoints
    Locate all published API swagger or OpenAPI definition endpoints in your API Connect environment - typically accessible via /swagger, /api-docs, or the API Manager portal
    Affected if Swagger documentation endpoints exist and are reachable
  3. Check if swagger docs are publicly accessible
    Verify whether swagger/OpenAPI documentation is exposed to unauthenticated or public users by attempting access from an external network without credentials
    Affected if Public or unauthenticated access to swagger documentation is allowed
  4. Inspect swagger definitions for internal network information
    Review the API swagger (OpenAPI) JSON or YAML definitions for exposed internal IP addresses, internal hostnames, private network paths, or internal server URLs that should remain confidential
    Affected if Internal server details, private IP addresses, internal hostnames, or network infrastructure information is present in the API swagger documentation

You are affected if IBM API Connect version is between 2018.1.0 and 2018.4.1.6 AND your API swagger documentation is publicly accessible AND contains internal network or server infrastructure details.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 2018.4.1.6
Interim mitigation

Apply the IBM fix for this vulnerability (upgrade to a patched version) or restrict public access to API swagger documentation and audit API definitions to remove any internal network information.

Fix this in Api Connect Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,980
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,168.

Scan for this in your stack

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dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2019-4437 — 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 sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2019-4437 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