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Db2Application · Ibm

CVE-2023-33854

MEDIUM · 5.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-06-22
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.4 or later.
See remediation →
59/100
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 on Cloud Pak for Data and Db2 Warehouse on Cloud Pak for Data versions 4.8, 5.0, 5.1, 5.2, and 5.3 could allow an authenticated user to bypass client-side validation and manipulate input data using man in the middle techniques.

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 on Cloud Pak for Data versions 4.8-5.3 contains a vulnerability where authenticated users can bypass client-side input validation by intercepting and modifying requests through man-in-the-middle techniques, allowing manipulated data to reach the server without proper validation.

MitigationImplement server-side input validation for all user inputs and ensure all communications use properly configured TLS to prevent MITM interception of client-server requests.

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:>= 4.8, < 5.4
Db2 WarehouseApplication
Affected:>= 4.8, < 5.4

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

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

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

  1. Identify the IBM Db2 or Db2 Warehouse version
    Access the Cloud Pak for Data administration console or use the 'cpd-cli status' command to retrieve the installed component versions. For Db2, you can also query the database using 'db2level' or check the Db2 pod configuration.
    Affected if The version is 4.8, 4.9, 4.10, 4.11, 5.0, 5.1, 5.2, or 5.3 (any version >= 4.8 and < 5.4)
  2. Confirm the product type is affected
    Verify whether the affected deployment is IBM Db2 on Cloud Pak for Data or IBM Db2 Warehouse. Check the product name in the Cloud Pak for Data console under the Databases section or via the 'oc get db2ucluster' command.
    Affected if The product is IBM Db2 or IBM Db2 Warehouse on Cloud Pak for Data versions 4.8 through 5.3
  3. Verify TLS configuration for client-server communications
    Inspect the TLS/SSL settings for the Db2 connection services. Check the Db2 configuration parameters using 'db2 get dbm cfg' looking for SSL/TLS-related keywords, or review the Cloud Pak for Data network policies for proper TLS enforcement between clients and the Db2 server.
    Affected if TLS is not properly configured or is missing for internal and external client communications, allowing MITM interception
  4. Check for server-side input validation enforcement
    Review application and API configurations to determine whether server-side validation is implemented. Examine the Db2 data access pathways through the Cloud Pak for Data API gateway and any custom applications connecting to the database.
    Affected if Server-side validation is not enforced and client-side validation alone is relied upon for input processing

You are affected if IBM Db2 or Db2 Warehouse version is 4.8 through 5.3 and communications lack proper TLS configuration or server-side validation enforcement.

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 5.4 or later
Fixed in 5.4
Interim mitigation

Implement server-side input validation for all user inputs and ensure all communications use properly configured TLS to prevent MITM interception of client-server requests.

Recommended fix High confidence

IBM Db2 on Cloud Pak for Data and Db2 Warehouse on Cloud Pak for Data version 5.4

  1. Review the IBM Cloud Pak for Data upgrade documentation for your current version
  2. Plan and schedule the upgrade during a maintenance window
  3. Back up all critical data and configurations
  4. Ensure system prerequisites are met for version 5.4
  5. Follow IBM's standard upgrade procedure for Cloud Pak for Data, which typically involves using the IBM Cloud Pak for Data installer
  6. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the Db2 and Db2 Warehouse components
  7. Confirm the version is now 5.4 or later
Caveat Review IBM Cloud Pak for Data 5.4 release notes for any compatibility changes or deprecated features before upgrading

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

Fix this in Db2 Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
32.0 hours of engineering $5,600
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $8,960.

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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-2023-33854 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