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Db2 Recovery ExpertApplication · Ibm

CVE-2025-27901

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-02-17
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
74/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 Recovery Expert for LUW 5.5 Interim Fix 002 IBM Db2 Recovery Expert for Linux, UNIX and Windows is vulnerable to HTTP header injection, caused by improper validation of input by the HOST headers.  This could allow an attacker to conduct various attacks against the vulnerable system, including cross-site scripting, cache poisoning or session hijacking.

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

IBM DB2 Recovery Expert for LUW 5.5 Interim Fix 002 is vulnerable to HTTP header injection due to improper validation of HOST headers. An attacker can manipulate HTTP HOST headers to inject malicious content, potentially leading to cross-site scripting (XSS), cache poisoning, or session hijacking attacks.

MitigationImplement strict input validation on HOST headers in the application or web server configuration, and ensure IBM DB2 Recovery Expert is updated to the latest patched version.

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
Db2 Recovery ExpertApplication
Affected:= 5.5.0

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
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/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. Verify IBM DB2 Recovery Expert installation
    Check for the presence of IBM DB2 Recovery Expert in the system. Common installation locations include /opt/ibm or C:\Program Files\IBM\ on Windows. Look for a directory named 'DB2RecoveryExpert' or similar.
    Affected if The product is installed on the system
  2. Determine installed version
    Locate the version information file or use the product's version command. For IBM products, check the installation directory for a version.info file, or run 'lsrct' command if available, or look in the 'properties' or 'about' dialog accessible through the product's web interface.
    Affected if The installed version is 5.5.0 (specifically 5.5 Interim Fix 002)
  3. Confirm web interface is accessible
    Check if the IBM DB2 Recovery Expert web interface is running. This is typically accessible on ports 8080, 8443, or a configured HTTP/HTTPS port. Use 'netstat -an' or 'ss -tuln' to list listening ports, or check the web server configuration files in the installation directory.
    Affected if The web interface is exposed and the installed version is 5.5.0

A user is affected if IBM DB2 Recovery Expert version 5.5.0 (5.5 Interim Fix 002) is installed and its web interface is accessible, since the vulnerability lies in improper HOST header validation in the HTTP layer.

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

Implement strict input validation on HOST headers in the application or web server configuration, and ensure IBM DB2 Recovery Expert is updated to the latest patched version.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

IBM Db2 Recovery Expert 5.5 with Interim Fix 003 or later (or version 5.5.1 if available)

  1. Locate the IBM Db2 Recovery Expert for LUW fix via IBM Fix Central (support.ibm.com)
  2. Search for APAR (APYxx) associated with CVE-2025-27901 or HTTP header injection in Db2 Recovery Expert 5.5
  3. Download and apply the appropriate Interim Fix (IF003 or later) for version 5.5
  4. Alternatively, check for Db2 Recovery Expert version 5.5.1 or higher which may contain the fix
  5. Apply the fix following IBM standard interim fix installation procedures
  6. Restart affected services as required after patch application
  7. Verify the fix by confirming HTTP header validation is working correctly
Caveat Interim fixes are typically backward-compatible but test in non-production first

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

Fix this in Db2 Recovery Expert Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,440
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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-2025-27901 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