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Db2Application · Ibm

CVE-2019-4588

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-05-26
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
No privileges

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 Db2 for Linux, UNIX and Windows (includes Db2 Connect Server) 9.7, 10.1, 10.5, 11.1, and 11.5 could allow a local user to execute arbitrary code and conduct DLL hijacking attacks.

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 Db2 versions 9.7, 10.1, 10.5, 11.1, and 11.5 on Linux, UNIX, and Windows contain a local privilege escalation vulnerability allowing attackers to execute arbitrary code via DLL hijacking. The Db2 process loads dynamic libraries from insecure paths, enabling a local authenticated user to inject malicious DLLs and escalate privileges.

MitigationApply the IBM Db2 security patch for this vulnerability. As immediate workarounds, restrict file system permissions on Db2 directories and ensure Db2 processes cannot load DLLs from user-writable locations.

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
Db2Application
Affected:= 9.7= 10.1= 10.5= 11.1= 11.5

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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. Verify if IBM Db2 is installed
    Run 'db2level' on Windows or 'db2ls' on Linux/UNIX to query the installed Db2 version. If these commands are not available, check the installation directory (typically C:\Program Files\IBM\SQLLIB on Windows or /opt/ibm/db2/Vxx on Linux/UNIX) for existence.
    Affected if Db2 is not installed or the command fails (not vulnerable because Db2 is not present)
  2. Confirm the installed Db2 version falls within affected range
    Compare the version output from step 1 against the affected versions: 9.7, 10.1, 10.5, 11.1, or 11.5. Look for exact version strings in the output.
    Affected if The version shown is exactly 9.7, 10.1, 10.5, 11.1, or 11.5 (any of these specific versions)
  3. Verify Db2 processes are running
    On Windows, run 'tasklist | findstr db2' or 'tasklist | findstr -i db2sysc'. On Linux/UNIX, run 'ps -ef | grep db2' or 'ps -U <db2-instance-user>'. The vulnerability requires an active Db2 process.
    Affected if No Db2 processes are running (the DLL hijacking cannot be exploited without an active process)
  4. Check file system permissions on Db2 installation directories
    On Windows, use 'icacls' or check Security properties on the Db2 installation directory (e.g., C:\Program Files\IBM\SQLLIB\bin). On Linux/UNIX, run 'ls -la' or 'ls -ld' on directories like /opt/ibm/db2/V11.5/bin and /opt/ibm/db2/V11.5/lib. Verify if any non-privileged users or the Users group have Write or Write+Execute permissions.
    Affected if Non-administrator users have Write permission to Db2 bin or lib directories where DLLs/so files are loaded from
  5. Identify if DLL search path includes user-writable locations
    On Windows, use a process monitor tool or check PATH environment variable for the Db2 service account. On Linux/UNIX, check LD_LIBRARY_PATH or library path configuration for the Db2 instance. The vulnerability exists if the process loads libraries from directories writable by low-privilege users.
    Affected if Db2 process PATH, LD_LIBRARY_PATH, or library loading configuration includes directories writable by unprivileged users

You are affected if Db2 version is exactly 9.7, 10.1, 10.5, 11.1, or 11.5 AND running Db2 processes load libraries from directories where unprivileged users have write access.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the IBM Db2 security patch for this vulnerability. As immediate workarounds, restrict file system permissions on Db2 directories and ensure Db2 processes cannot load DLLs from user-writable locations.

Fix this in Db2 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
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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-2019-4588 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