CVE-2019-4640
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 Security Secret Server 10.7 processes patches, image backups and other updates without sufficiently verifying the origin and integrity of the code which could result in an attacker executing malicious code. IBM X-Force ID: 170046.
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 Security Secret Server 10.7 contains a supply chain integrity vulnerability where the update mechanism fails to properly verify the origin and integrity of patches, image backups, and other updates before execution. An attacker who can inject malicious code into the update channel could achieve remote code execution with high privileges.
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 dataall versionsCVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify if IBM Security Secret Server is installedCheck for IBM Security Secret Server installation directories, services, or application processes on the system. Common locations may include Program Files directories or application-specific installation paths.Affected if IBM Security Secret Server is present on the system - all versions are affected by this vulnerability
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Confirm the installed versionLocate and read the version information from the Secret Server installation - typically available in the application itself, installation metadata, or product documentation.Affected if Any version of IBM Security Secret Server is confirmed to be installed, as all versions are affected according to the provided advisory
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Determine if the update mechanism is configured or enabledInspect Secret Server configuration settings related to updates, patches, and system maintenance. Look for update schedule, patch management, or backup configuration interfaces within the application or configuration files.Affected if The update mechanism is enabled or configured - this is the attack surface that allows remote code execution if the update channel is compromised
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Review update channel integrity controlsExamine how Secret Server obtains updates - verify if updates are fetched from IBM's official update channels, check for any custom or third-party update sources, and inspect SSL/TLS configuration for update connections.Affected if The update mechanism does not verify the origin and integrity of updates, which is the core vulnerability - all installations are vulnerable by design
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Audit recent update or patch activityReview Secret Server logs, update history, or patch management records for any unexpected or unauthorized update activity that may indicate exploitation.Affected if Unexpected update activity is detected, which could indicate the supply chain vulnerability has been exploited
If IBM Security Secret Server is installed with its update mechanism enabled, the environment is affected because all versions lack proper origin and integrity verification for updates, allowing potential remote code execution if the update channel is compromised.
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 vendor patches when available. In the interim, implement compensating controls such as obtaining updates exclusively from verified IBM channels, implementing network-level controls to ensure update traffic integrity, and monitoring for unexpected update activity.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,600.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2019-4640 — 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-2019-4640 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
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