CVE-2020-5025
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 db2fm is vulnerable to a buffer overflow, caused by improper bounds checking which could allow a local attacker to execute arbitrary code on the system with root privileges. IBM X-Force ID: 193661.
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 DB2's db2fm (Fault Monitor) service contains a buffer overflow vulnerability due to improper bounds checking. This allows a local authenticated attacker to execute arbitrary code with root privileges by exploiting the privileged db2fm process.
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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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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Verify IBM DB2 installationRun 'db2pd -version' or check for DB2 installation directories such as /opt/ibm/db2/V11.1 or /opt/ibm/db2/V11.5Affected if DB2 is not installed, the check does not apply
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Determine installed DB2 versionExecute 'db2pd -version' and note the exact version number displayed (e.g., 11.1.4.5, 11.5.4.0)Affected if The version falls within these ranges: >= 11.1.0.0 and < 11.1.4.6, OR >= 11.5 and < 11.5.5.0, OR equals 9.7, 10.1, or 10.5
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Confirm db2fm service statusRun 'db2fm -status' or check for db2fm processes via 'ps -ef | grep db2fm'Affected if The db2fm (Fault Monitor) service is running and the version is in the affected range
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Verify NetApp Oncommand Insight presenceCheck if Oncommand Insight software is installed on the systemAffected if Oncommand Insight is installed (all versions are affected per the CVE)
You are affected if IBM DB2 version is 9.7, 10.1, 10.5, or falls between 11.1.0.0-11.1.4.5 or 11.5.0.0-11.5.4.x AND the db2fm service is enabled/running, or if NetApp Oncommand Insight is installed.
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 the IBM patch for this vulnerability via Fix Central. Restrict local access to the DB2 server to trusted users only until the patch is applied, as this is a local privilege escalation vector.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing4.0 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 $3,648.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-5025 — 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-2020-5025 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
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