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Db2Application · Ibm

CVE-2025-36136

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-11-07
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 12.1.3 or later.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 11.5.0 through 11.5.9, and 12.1.0 through 12.1.3 for Linux, UNIX and Windows (includes DB2 Connect Server) could allow a local user to cause a denial of service due to the database monitor script incorrectly detecting that the instance is still starting under specific conditions.

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's database monitor script incorrectly detects that the database instance is still starting under specific conditions, causing a denial of service. This is a local privilege vulnerability where a local user can trigger the monitor script to enter an erroneous state, preventing proper database monitoring or causing the instance to become unresponsive.

MitigationApply the IBM Db2 patch for this vulnerability (contact IBM support for appropriate fixpack) or implement custom monitoring procedures that work around the flawed detection logic until the official patch is available.

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:>= 11.5.0, <= 11.5.9>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.3

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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. Check installed IBM Db2 version
    Run 'db2level' or 'db2select -version' from a Db2 instance owner account to retrieve the exact version and fixpack level. Compare the version number against the affected ranges: 11.5.0 through 11.5.9 and 12.1.0 through 12.1.3.
    Affected if The installed version falls within 11.5.0 <= version <= 11.5.9 OR 12.1.0 <= version <= 12.1.3
  2. Verify database monitoring is configured
    Check if Db2's database health monitoring is enabled by examining the db2diag log configuration or the database manager configuration using 'get dbm cfg' command. Look for entries related to health monitor or database monitor scripts.
    Affected if Database monitoring/health monitor functionality is enabled and the instance version is vulnerable
  3. Identify monitor script execution permissions
    Locate and inspect the Db2 database monitor script (typically found in the Db2 installation directory under 'bin' or 'misc' folder, named similarly to db2mon or health monitor scripts). Check file permissions with 'ls -la' to determine if local users have execute access to the monitor script.
    Affected if Local non-privileged users can execute the monitor script and the Db2 version is in the affected range
  4. Check for monitoring failure symptoms
    Review db2diag logs for entries indicating the monitor incorrectly reports the database as still starting when it is actually running. Run 'db2pd -monitor' to check current monitoring status and look for anomalies where monitoring appears stuck or unresponsive.
    Affected if Monitor logs show false 'instance starting' detection or monitoring functions return errors indicating the database state is misidentified

A user is affected if they run a vulnerable IBM Db2 version (11.5.0-11.5.9 or 12.1.0-12.1.3) with database monitoring enabled, and the monitor script exhibits incorrect startup state detection causing monitoring failures or instance unresponsiveness.

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.

From vendor data
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 12.1.3
Interim mitigation

Apply the IBM Db2 patch for this vulnerability (contact IBM support for appropriate fixpack) or implement custom monitoring procedures that work around the flawed detection logic until the official patch is available.

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
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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-2025-36136 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
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