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Api ConnectApplication · Ibm

CVE-2019-4609

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2019-12-18
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
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 2018.4.1.7 uses weaker than expected cryptographic algorithms that could allow an attacker to decrypt highly sensitive information. IBM X-Force ID: 168510.

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 2018.4.1.7 uses weaker than expected cryptographic algorithms that could allow an attacker to decrypt highly sensitive information stored or transmitted through the platform.

MitigationApply the IBM security patch for CVE-2019-4609 and ensure only strong cryptographic algorithms (e.g., AES-256, TLS 1.2+, SHA-256+) are enabled in all cryptographic operations.

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:= 2018.4.1.7

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
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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 checks

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

  1. Identify IBM API Connect version
    Run 'apic version' or check the API Connect admin console for the installed version number
    Affected if Installed version is exactly 2018.4.1.7
  2. Review cryptographic configuration
    Access the API Connect management plane settings and locate the cryptography/TLS configuration section
    Affected if Weak or legacy cryptographic algorithms (such as AES-128, TLS 1.0/1.1, or SHA-1) are enabled in the platform settings
  3. Check enabled cipher suites
    Examine the list of enabled cipher suites in the API Connect TLS/SSL configuration
    Affected if Weak cipher suites (e.g., those using DES, 3DES, RC4, or export-grade ciphers) are present or enabled
  4. Verify TLS protocol versions
    Check the TLS protocol settings in the API Connect configuration or edge settings
    Affected if TLS version 1.0 or 1.1 is enabled instead of TLS 1.2 or higher

A user is affected if they are running exactly version 2018.4.1.7 of IBM API Connect with weak cryptographic algorithms or outdated TLS versions enabled in their configuration.

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 security patch for CVE-2019-4609 and ensure only strong cryptographic algorithms (e.g., AES-256, TLS 1.2+, SHA-256+) are enabled in all cryptographic operations.

Fix this in Api Connect Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA6.0 h
42.0 hours of engineering $7,360
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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-2019-4609 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