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Db2Application · Ibm

CVE-2021-38931

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-12-09
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
71/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable Zero-click

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 · unedited
IBM Db2 for Linux, UNIX and Windows (includes DB2 Connect Server) 11.1, and 11.5 is vulnerable to an information disclosure as a result of a connected user having indirect read access to a table where they are not authorized to select from. IBM X-Force ID: 210418.

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 confidence

IBM Db2 11.1 and 11.5 contains an information disclosure vulnerability where an authorized database user can indirectly read access tables for which they do not have explicit SELECT permissions. This represents a flaw in Db2's authorization model where permission inheritance or indirect access pathways allow unauthorized data exposure.

MitigationReview and restrict database user permissions, audit table-level access controls, and apply IBM's available patches for this vulnerability.

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
Db2Application
Affected:= 11.1= 11.5
Oncommand InsightApplication
Affected:all versions

CVSS 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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify Db2 version
    Run 'db2level' command or query SYSCAT.ENVIRONMENT_INFO to determine the exact installed version of IBM Db2
    Affected if The installed version is exactly 11.1 or 11.5
  2. Verify database user privileges
    Query SYSCAT.DBAUTH or SYSCAT.TABAUTH to review granted permissions for database users on sensitive tables
    Affected if Users have database-level privileges that allow indirect access to tables without explicit SELECT grants
  3. Check for indirect access pathways
    Review DB2's permission inheritance model by querying system catalog views for users who can access tables through grouping roles, implicit privileges, or system-generated access paths they did not receive directly
    Affected if Authorized database users can access tables where they lack explicit SELECT permissions through inherited or indirect privileges
  4. Audit table-level access controls
    Compare permissions from SYSCAT.TABAUTH against actual access by testing or reviewing audit logs for unauthorized SELECT operations on tables without direct grants
    Affected if Database users successfully read tables where no explicit SELECT permission exists in SYSCAT.TABAUTH for that user

A user is affected if running IBM Db2 version 11.1 or 11.5 and any authorized database user can indirectly read tables without explicit SELECT permissions.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Review and restrict database user permissions, audit table-level access controls, and apply IBM's available patches for this vulnerability.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Db2 11.1 FP7 (11.1.4.7) or later; Db2 11.5 FP8 (11.5.8.0) or later

  1. 1. Identify the current Db2 version by running: db2pd -version or db2level
  2. 2. For Db2 11.1: Upgrade to Fix Pack 11.1.4.7 or later
  3. 3. For Db2 11.5: Upgrade to Fix Pack 11.5.8.0 or later
  4. 4. Download the appropriate Fix Pack from IBM Fix Central (https://www.ibm.com/support/fixcentral/)
  5. 5. Stop all Db2 instances before applying the fix pack: db2stop force
  6. 6. Install the Fix Pack using the db2_install script or IBM Installation Manager
  7. 7. After installation, rebuild Db2 instances: db2iupdt <instance_name>
  8. 8. Start Db2: db2start
Caveat Fix packs are generally non-breaking but test in non-production first; ensure backup before upgrade

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Db2 Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,130
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-38931 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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