CVE-2021-29678
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 a user with DBADM authority to access other databases and read or modify files. IBM X-Force ID: 199914.
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 versions 9.7 through 11.5 contain a vulnerability where users with DBADM (Database Administrator) authority can access databases outside their authorized scope and read/write files on the underlying filesystem. This represents an authorization bypass where the DBADM role's privileges are not properly scoped, allowing lateral movement across databases and filesystem access.
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= 9.7= 10.1= 10.5= 11.1= 11.5all 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
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify installed IBM Db2 versionRun the command: `db2level` or query `SELECT GET_VARCHAR('SYSIBMADM.SYSENVIRONMENT', 1) AS version FROM SYSIBM.SYSDUMMY1`Affected if The version returned is 9.7, 10.1, 10.5, 11.1, or 11.5
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Check for DBADM authority grantsRun: `db2 GET AUTHORIZATIONS` or query: `SELECT GRANTEE, DATABASENAME FROM SYSCAT.DBAUTH WHERE DBADMAUTH = 'Y'`Affected if Any users or groups are listed with DBADM authority granted
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Verify DBADM user access scope across multiple databasesQuery: `SELECT DISTINCT GRANTEE, DATABASENAME FROM SYSCAT.DBAUTH WHERE DBADMAUTH = 'Y' AND DATABASENAME IS NOT NULL` to see which databases each DBADM can accessAffected if A single DBADM account can access more than one database, indicating lateral movement is possible
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Check if Db2 instance user has elevated OS privilegesOn the Db2 server, examine the instance owner account's OS-level permissions. Run `id <instance_user>` to check group memberships. Review if the instance user has read/write access to sensitive directories outside the Db2 data directoryAffected if The Db2 instance owner has OS-level permissions that would allow reading/writing files outside the Db2 data directory
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For NetApp OnCommand Insight installationsDetermine if OnCommand Insight embeds or uses an affected IBM Db2 version by checking the product documentation or embedded database versionAffected if OnCommand Insight is running and uses an affected Db2 version as its backend database
You are affected if you run IBM Db2 version 9.7, 10.1, 10.5, 11.1, or 11.5 and have any users granted DBADM authority, as the privilege escalation and unauthorized filesystem access become possible.
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 IBM's security patches for CVE-2021-29678 and review DBADM authority assignments to ensure compliance with least-privilege principles, limiting this powerful authority only to users who absolutely require it.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 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 $6,176.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-29678 — 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-2021-29678 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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