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SdkApplication · Ibm

CVE-2022-40609

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-08-02
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 7.1.5.19 / 8.0.8.5 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges 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 SDK, Java Technology Edition 7.1.5.18 and 8.0.8.0 could allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on the system, caused by an unsafe deserialization flaw. By sending specially-crafted data, an attacker could exploit this vulnerability to execute arbitrary code on the system. IBM X-Force ID: 236069.

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 confidence

Unsafe deserialization vulnerability in IBM SDK Java versions 7.1.5.18 and 8.0.8.0 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code by sending specially crafted serialized data that gets deserialized without proper validation.

MitigationUpgrade IBM SDK Java to patched versions. If immediate upgrade is not feasible, disable or restrict deserialization of untrusted data and implement network-level controls to limit attack surface.

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
SdkApplication
Affected:< 7.1.5.19>= 8.0, < 8.0.8.5

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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 checks

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

  1. Identify IBM SDK Java installation
    Run 'java -version' or check for IBM Java installation directories (e.g., /opt/ibm/java or Program Files/IBM/java on Windows). Look for 'IBM' in the vendor string of the output.
    Affected if The vendor string shows 'IBM' rather than Oracle, OpenJDK, or other vendors - this indicates IBM SDK Java is in use.
  2. Determine installed IBM SDK Java version
    Run 'java -version -verbose' or check the JAR manifest in the IBM Java installation (typically in the jre/lib directory). The version format is typically 7.1.5.x or 8.0.8.x for IBM Java.
    Affected if The exact version number cannot be determined from standard java -version output alone, requiring manual inspection of installation files.
  3. Compare version against affected ranges
    Locate the actual version file (e.g., jre/lib/IBMJavaSettings or java.properties in the IBM SDK installation directory) and read the full version number.
    Affected if Version is 7.1.5.18 or earlier, OR version is 8.0.8.0 through 8.0.8.4 (i.e., less than 7.1.5.19 or >= 8.0.8.0 but < 8.0.8.5).
  4. Check for deserialization usage in deployed applications
    Search application source code and JAR/WAR files for usage of ObjectInputStream, XMLDecoder, XStream, or similar deserialization mechanisms that process data from untrusted network sources.
    Affected if Applications use Java deserialization (ObjectInputStream or similar) to process data from network clients, external APIs, or other untrusted sources.

The environment is affected if IBM SDK Java is installed with version 7.1.5.18 or earlier, or version 8.0.8.0 through 8.0.8.4, AND the deployed applications deserialize data from untrusted sources.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to 7.1.5.19 / 8.0.8.5 or later
Fixed in 7.1.5.198.0.8.5
Interim mitigation

Upgrade IBM SDK Java to patched versions. If immediate upgrade is not feasible, disable or restrict deserialization of untrusted data and implement network-level controls to limit attack surface.

Recommended fix High confidence

IBM SDK Java Technology Edition 7.1.5.19 or later; IBM SDK Java Technology Edition 8.0.8.5 or later

  1. 1. Identify the currently installed IBM SDK Java version by running 'java -version' or checking the SDK installation directory
  2. 2. For IBM SDK Java 7.x line: upgrade to version 7.1.5.19 or later
  3. 3. For IBM SDK Java 8.x line: upgrade to version 8.0.8.5 or later
  4. 4. Download the fixed IBM SDK version from IBM's official support portal or Fix Central (https://www.ibm.com/support/fixcentral/)
  5. 5. Install the updated SDK following IBM's installation documentation
  6. 6. Verify the new version is installed correctly using 'java -version'
  7. 7. Test application functionality to ensure compatibility with the updated SDK
  8. 8. Redeploy or restart any services using the affected SDK
Caveat Review IBM's SDK compatibility guidelines as minor version upgrades within the same major version typically maintain backward compatibility, but test thoroughly

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

Fix this in Sdk Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing16.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
40.0 hours of engineering $6,880
Get the upgrade done

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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-2022-40609 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • 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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data