CVE-2007-5652 in DB2 Universal Database
Summary
by MITRE
IBM DB2 UDB 9.1 before Fixpak 4 does not properly manage storage of a list containing authentication information, which might allow attackers to cause a denial of service (instance crash) or trigger memory corruption. NOTE: the vendor description of this issue is too vague to be certain that it is security-related.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/30/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2007-5652 affects IBM DB2 Universal Database version 9.1 prior to Fixpak 4, representing a critical flaw in the database management system's handling of authentication data structures. This issue manifests through improper memory management practices when processing lists containing authentication information, creating potential attack vectors that could compromise system stability and availability. The vulnerability resides in the core storage management mechanisms of the database engine, specifically in how it allocates, maintains, and deallocates memory structures associated with user authentication processes.
The technical flaw stems from inadequate bounds checking and memory allocation handling within DB2's authentication subsystem. When the database processes authentication requests and manages lists containing user credentials or related authentication data, the system fails to properly validate the size and content of these data structures before storing them in memory. This improper storage management creates opportunities for attackers to craft malicious inputs that trigger buffer overflows, memory corruption, or resource exhaustion conditions. The vulnerability operates at the memory management level, making it particularly dangerous as it can lead to unpredictable system behavior and potential privilege escalation scenarios.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service conditions, as the memory corruption aspects could potentially allow attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause complete system crashes. When an attacker successfully exploits this weakness, they can cause the database instance to crash, resulting in service disruption and potential data loss. The memory corruption component introduces additional risks where the database process might behave unpredictably, leading to data integrity issues or creating opportunities for further exploitation. Organizations relying on DB2 9.1 without the appropriate fixpack updates face significant operational risks, particularly in environments where database availability is critical for business operations.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2007-5652 primarily focus on applying the vendor-provided Fixpak 4 update, which addresses the underlying memory management issues in the authentication subsystem. System administrators should prioritize immediate deployment of this security patch across all affected DB2 9.1 installations to eliminate the vulnerability. Additional protective measures include implementing network segmentation to limit access to database systems, enabling strict authentication controls, and monitoring for unusual database behavior or connection patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Organizations should also consider implementing intrusion detection systems to monitor for potential exploitation attempts targeting this specific memory management vulnerability, as the attack vectors could involve crafted authentication requests designed to trigger the improper storage conditions.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-129, which addresses improper validation of array indices, and CWE-787, concerning out-of-bounds write operations, both of which are common in memory corruption scenarios. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, the vulnerability maps to T1499.004 for network denial of service and potentially T1068 for local privilege escalation if memory corruption leads to code execution. The issue demonstrates how seemingly routine database operations can become security risks when underlying memory management systems contain fundamental flaws in data validation and storage handling.