Db2Application · Ibm
CVE-2025-36247
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 · uneditedIBM Db2 for Linux, UNIX and Windows (includes Db2 Connect Server) 11.5.0 through 11.5.9 and 12.1.0 through 12.1.3 is vulnerable to an XML external entity injection (XXE) attack when processing XML data. A remote attacker could exploit this vulnerability to expose sensitive information or consume memory resources.
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 confidenceIBM Db2 versions 11.5.0-11.5.9 and 12.1.0-12.1.3 contain an XML external entity injection (XXE) vulnerability in XML data processing. Attackers can exploit this by submitting malicious XML with external entity references to read sensitive files from the server or cause memory exhaustion (DoS).
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
>= 11.5.0, <= 11.5.9>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.3CVSS 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
- Low
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:L
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check IBM Db2 installed versionRun `db2level` or `db2pd -version` from a Db2 instance owner account to obtain the exact version and build levelAffected if Version falls within 11.5.0-11.5.9 or 12.1.0-12.1.3
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Identify XML column usageQuery system catalog: `SELECT TABNAME FROM SYSCAT.COLUMNS WHERE TYPENAME='XML'` to list tables with XML columnsAffected if Any tables contain XML-typed columns in the database
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Check XML parsing functions in useQuery `SYSCAT.ROUTINES` filtering on ROUTINENAME containing 'XMLPARSE', 'XMLVALIDATE', or 'XQUERY' to see if XML processing routines existAffected if XML parsing or XQuery routines are defined in the database
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Review XML input pathsInspect application code, stored procedures, or DB2 functions that accept XML input, looking for SQL statements that process XML data from user-supplied sourcesAffected if Applications or routines accept XML input that could be controlled by external users
A system is affected if it runs Db2 version 11.5.0-11.5.9 or 12.1.0-12.1.3 AND processes XML data through columns, functions, or queries accessible to untrusted sources.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 dataApply IBM's Db2 update beyond versions 11.5.9/12.1.3 or disable external entity resolution in XML parsers where applicable; validate XML input to block entity declarations.
Fix this in Db2
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing10.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $7,776.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-36247 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-36247 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- 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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