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IApplication · Ibm

CVE-2024-31879

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-05-18
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
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 i 7.2, 7.3, and 7.4 could allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code leading to a denial of service of network ports on the system, caused by the deserialization of untrusted data. IBM X-Force ID: 287539.

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 i versions 7.2, 7.3, and 7.4 contain a deserialization vulnerability where untrusted data is deserialized without proper validation, allowing a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code and cause denial of service on network ports.

MitigationApply IBM's security patches for CVE-2024-31879 to address the insecure deserialization. Restrict network exposure of vulnerable services and implement input validation where possible.

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
IApplication
Affected:= 7.2= 7.3= 7.4

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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. Check IBM i version
    From IBM i command line, run DSPSYSVAL QSWIDLVI or display system value QSWORLD. Alternatively, use WRKSYSVAL QSWIDLVI. The system version will be shown (such as V7R2, V7R3, or V7R4).
    Affected if The version displayed is 7.2, 7.3, or 7.4 (V7R2, V7R3, or V7R4).
  2. Identify network listening services
    Run NETSTAT *CNN or WRKTCPSTS option 3 to display active TCP connections and listening ports. Note all services listening on TCP ports, particularly those accessible from the network.
    Affected if Any TCP service is bound to a network-accessible IP address (not localhost only).
  3. Check for Java or web service exposure
    Run WRKACTJOB to see active jobs. Look for Java Virtual Machine (JVM) jobs or IBM HTTP Server for IBM i jobs that may be handling deserialized data. Check if Web Services or REST services are running.
    Affected if Java-based services or web application servers (such as IBM WebSphere on IBM i) are running and listening on network ports.
  4. Review remote program call (RPC) services
    Check for any custom or third-party applications using Java object serialization over network connections. Use WRKTCPSTS to identify custom TCP applications. Review any user-installed applications that deserialize data.
    Affected if Custom applications using Java serialization or similar data exchange formats are running on exposed TCP ports.

You are affected if your IBM i system runs version 7.2, 7.3, or 7.4 AND has Java-based or other network services that could receive untrusted serialized data without validation.

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 CVE-2024-31879 to address the insecure deserialization. Restrict network exposure of vulnerable services and implement input validation where possible.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

IBM i 7.2, 7.3, or 7.4 with appropriate PTFs applied (check IBM Security Bulletin for specific PTF numbers)

  1. 1. Check IBM Security Bulletin for CVE-2024-31879 at www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/ for the specific PTF numbers
  2. 2. Identify the required PTFs for your IBM i version (7.2, 7.3, or 7.4) from the bulletin
  3. 3. Download and apply the PTFs using the IBM i PTF application process (GO PTF)
  4. 4. Verify the PTFs are applied by running WRKPTF and checking for loaded status
  5. 5. After PTFs are applied, perform an IPL (Initial Program Load) if required by the PTF documentation
  6. 6. Validate the network port behavior to confirm the denial of service vulnerability is remediated
Caveat PTF application may require an IPL; test in non-production environment first

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

Fix this in I Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,640
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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-2024-31879 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