CVE-2020-5024
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) 9.7, 10.1, 10.5, 11.1, and 11.5 could allow an unauthenticated attacker to cause a denial of service due a hang in the SSL handshake response. IBM X-Force ID: 193660.
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 9.7, 10.1, 10.5, 11.1, and 11.5 contain a vulnerability in the SSL handshake processing that allows an unauthenticated remote attacker to cause the database to hang, resulting in denial of service. The issue stems from improper handling of SSL handshake responses.
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>= 11.1.0.0, < 11.1.4.6>= 11.5, < 11.5.5.0= 9.7= 10.1= 10.5all 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
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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 IBM DB2 installation and versionRun the command 'db2level' or check the installation directory for version information. On Windows, you can also check via the DB2 Administration Server or Control Center.Affected if The version returned matches: 9.7, 10.1, 10.5, or falls within 11.1.0.0 to 11.1.4.5, or 11.5.0.0 to 11.5.4.x.
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Verify SSL/TLS is enabled for DB2 connectionsCheck DB2 database manager configuration for SSL settings. Use 'db2 get dbm cfg | grep -i ssl' to view SSL-related configuration parameters. Also check if SSL ports are configured by reviewing the database configuration or using 'db2 get db cfg' and looking for SSL-related entries.Affected if SSL is enabled and the database is listening on an SSL-configured port, making it reachable over SSL/TLS.
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Confirm network exposure of DB2 SSL portsReview network listeners on the DB2 server. Use 'netstat -an | grep <ssl_port>' or similar commands to identify if SSL ports are open and listening. Check firewall rules and DB2 connection settings to determine if remote SSL connections are permitted.Affected if The DB2 SSL port is accessible from network locations where an unauthenticated attacker could send SSL handshake requests.
You are affected if you run a vulnerable IBM DB2 version AND have SSL/TLS enabled with the DB2 SSL port accessible from the network.
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 data11.1.4.611.5.5.0
Apply IBM DB2 patches or upgrades to a patched version to remediate this vulnerability. For systems that cannot be immediately patched, consider restricting network access to DB2 ports or implementing rate limiting on SSL connections as a temporary measure.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-5024 — 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-2020-5024 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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