dbcve.org
Db2Application · Ibm

CVE-2023-42005

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-05-29
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 4.6, 4.7, and 4.8 could allow a user with access to the Kubernetes pod, to make system calls compromising the security of containers. IBM X-Force ID: 265264.

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 and Db2 Warehouse on Cloud Pak for Data versions 3.5 through 4.8 contain a container security vulnerability where a user with access to the underlying Kubernetes pod can make privileged system calls, potentially enabling container escape or privilege escalation beyond the intended pod isolation boundaries.

MitigationApply IBM's security patches for this vulnerability when available. In the interim, enforce strict pod security policies, limit pod access to authorized personnel only, and implement network segmentation to reduce the 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
Db2Application
Affected:= 3.5= 4.0= 4.5= 4.6= 4.7= 4.8
Db2 WarehouseApplication
Affected:= 3.5= 4.0= 4.5= 4.6= 4.7= 4.8

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
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/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 checks

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

  1. Identify IBM Db2 Cloud Pak for Data installation
    List all installed operators and pods in the cluster related to IBM Db2 or Db2 Warehouse. Look for namespaces containing 'db2', 'cp4d', or 'cloud-pak' in their names.
    Affected if IBM Db2 on Cloud Pak for Data or Db2 Warehouse is installed in the cluster
  2. Determine the installed Db2 version
    Check the version of the IBM Db2 or Db2 Warehouse operator and operand. Use 'kubectl get deployments' or 'oc get deployments' in the Db2 namespace and inspect the version labels or image tags.
    Affected if The installed version matches 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 4.6, 4.7, or 4.8
  3. Verify pod security context configuration
    Inspect the security context of Db2 pods by running 'kubectl get pod -n <db2-namespace> -o yaml' and checking the 'securityContext' and 'spec.containers.securityContext' fields for privileged mode or excessive capabilities.
    Affected if Pods are running with privileged: true or have additional capabilities beyond what is required for normal operation
  4. Check for unauthorized pod access
    Review Kubernetes audit logs and pod access control policies to determine if any untrusted users or service accounts have shell access or exec permissions into Db2 pods.
    Affected if Users or service accounts outside the privileged admin group have pod exec or shell access
  5. Inspect container runtime configuration
    Examine the pod specification for any hostPath mounts, hostNetwork, or hostPID settings that could enable container escape.
    Affected if Db2 pods have hostPath mounts, hostNetwork enabled, or hostPID sharing enabled

A user is affected if they have IBM Db2 on Cloud Pak for Data or Db2 Warehouse versions 3.5 through 4.8 running and any untrusted user has access to the underlying Kubernetes pod where privileged system calls could be made.

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

Apply IBM's security patches for this vulnerability when available. In the interim, enforce strict pod security policies, limit pod access to authorized personnel only, and implement network segmentation to reduce the attack surface.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

IBM Cloud Pak for Data 4.8.x or later (latest available fix pack)

  1. Check current IBM Cloud Pak for Data version by running: oc get operandrequest -A | grep db2u or by checking the Cloud Pak console
  2. Backup all Db2 databases and configurations before upgrading
  3. Schedule a maintenance window for the upgrade
  4. Upgrade IBM Cloud Pak for Data to the latest available fix pack (4.8.x or later) that includes the security fix for CVE-2023-42005
  5. Verify the upgrade completed successfully by checking the operator status: oc get csv -n ibm-common-services
  6. Confirm the Db2 operands are in Running state: oc get db2ucluster -A
Caveat Review IBM Cloud Pak for Data upgrade prerequisites and known issues; some configurations may require adjustments after upgrade

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

Fix this in Db2 Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
Get help mitigating

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 locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-42005 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2023-42005 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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