CVE-2020-4230
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 DB2 for Linux, UNIX and Windows (includes DB2 Connect Server) 11.1 and 11.5 is vulnerable to an escalation of privilege when an authenticated local attacker with special permissions executes specially crafted Db2 commands. IBM X-Force ID: 175212.
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 confidenceIBM DB2 versions 11.1 and 11.5 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows contain a local privilege escalation vulnerability. An authenticated attacker with special permissions can execute specially crafted Db2 commands to gain elevated privileges beyond their assigned role. This is a local attack requiring authentication and specific permissions.
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= 11.1= 11.5CVSS 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
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/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 installed DB2 versionRun 'db2level' command or query DB2 registry: 'db2pd -version' from a DB2 instance owner. On Windows, also check Services list for DB2 service version.Affected if Version is exactly 11.1 or exactly 11.5 for Linux, UNIX, or Windows
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Verify user special permissionsQuery DB2 authorizations using: 'db2 get authorizations' or check SYSIBMADM.DBAUTH view. Look for users with SYSADM, DBADM, or special administrative privileges.Affected if Any non-admin user possesses elevated DB2 permissions beyond standard CONNECT or DBADM without proper justification
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Check for suspicious command execution logsReview DB2 diagnostic logs (db2diag.log) and audit logs for execution of unusual or crafted DB2 commands. Look for commands from users who should not have elevated privileges.Affected if Evidence of DB2 commands executed by lower-privileged users that resulted in privilege escalation or unexpected administrative actions
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Review user membership and rolesCheck OS-level groups that DB2 users belong to (Windows: Local Administrators, UNIX: db2admin or sysadm groups). Query: 'db2 get snapshot for all on database' and examine user connections.Affected if Users with standard DB2 privileges are members of OS administrative groups they should not belong to
You are affected if your DB2 installation is version 11.1 or 11.5 AND any authenticated user with basic DB2 permissions has been able to execute commands beyond their intended authorization level.
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 DB2 interim fix or patch for CVE-2020-4230. Review and restrict user permissions to the minimum necessary, and monitor for unauthorized use of special Db2 commands.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing12.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $7,616.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-4230 — 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-2020-4230 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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- 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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