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Db2Application · Ibm

CVE-2025-2533

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-07-29
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 Db2 for Linux 12.1.0, 12.1.1, and 12.1.2 is vulnerable to a denial of service as the server may crash under certain conditions with a specially crafted query.

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 versions 12.1.0, 12.1.1, and 12.1.2 on Linux contain a denial of service vulnerability where a specially crafted SQL query can cause the database server to crash. The attack is likely exploitable remotely via SQL query execution.

MitigationApply the IBM-provided patch for this vulnerability. Until patched, consider restricting query execution privileges or implementing query analysis/filtering at the application layer.

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:= 12.1.0= 12.1.1= 12.1.2

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
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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. Determine installed Db2 version
    Run `db2level` or `db2pd -version` from a Db2 instance owner account, or inspect the version file in the Db2 installation directory (e.g., /opt/ibm/db2/V12.1/version.txt)
    Affected if The displayed version matches exactly 12.1.0, 12.1.1, or 12.1.2 on Linux
  2. Confirm Db2 instance is running
    Run `db2pd -instance` or `db2 list active databases` to verify the Db2 instance is active
    Affected if The instance is running and accepting connections, enabling remote SQL query execution
  3. Verify SQL query execution capability
    Attempt a simple query execution via `db2 connect to <database> && db2 select 1 from sysibm.sysdummy1` using a valid database connection
    Affected if SQL queries can be executed against the database, which is the attack vector for this vulnerability

If the installed IBM Db2 version on Linux is exactly 12.1.0, 12.1.1, or 12.1.2 and the database accepts SQL queries, the environment is vulnerable to denial of service via crafted SQL queries.

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 the IBM-provided patch for this vulnerability. Until patched, consider restricting query execution privileges or implementing query analysis/filtering at the application layer.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

IBM Db2 12.1.3 or later (check IBM security bulletin for exact fixed version)

  1. 1. Review IBM's official security bulletin for CVE-2025-2533 at https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/ (search for Db2 security bulletin)
  2. 2. Identify the appropriate fixed version or interim fix (IF) for your Db2 12.1.x installation
  3. 3. Download the IBM Db2 fix pack or interim fix from IBM Fix Central: https://www.ibm.com/support/fixcentral/
  4. 4. Schedule a maintenance window as fixes typically require database downtime
  5. 5. Back up your Db2 database before applying any fix
  6. 6. Apply the fix following IBM's standard fix pack installation procedure (db2updpvr, db2iupdt, etc.)
  7. 7. Verify the fix was applied successfully and test that the server no longer crashes with specially crafted queries
Caveat Review IBM's fix pack release notes for potential compatibility issues or required post-installation steps; test in non-production environment first

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 / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,500
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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-2025-2533 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