CVE-2009-3472 in DB2
Summary
by MITRE
IBM DB2 8 before FP18, 9.1 before FP8, and 9.5 before FP4 allows remote authenticated users to bypass intended access restrictions, and update, insert, or delete table rows, via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/25/2025
IBM DB2 database management systems across multiple versions contain a critical access control vulnerability that enables authenticated attackers to circumvent intended security restrictions. This vulnerability affects DB2 versions 8.0 before fix pack 18, 9.1 before fix pack 8, and 9.5 before fix pack 4, representing a significant weakness in the database's authorization mechanisms. The flaw allows remote authenticated users to perform unauthorized data manipulation operations including updating, inserting, and deleting table rows without proper authorization. This represents a fundamental breakdown in the database's privilege management system where legitimate users can exploit the vulnerability to gain elevated access rights beyond their intended permissions.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of access controls within the database engine's authorization subsystem. Attackers can leverage this weakness through unspecified vectors that likely involve manipulating authentication tokens or exploiting flaws in the permission checking routines that govern database operations. The vulnerability's remote nature means that attackers do not need physical access to the database server, but can exploit it from any network location where they have valid authentication credentials. This characteristic significantly increases the attack surface and potential impact of the vulnerability.
The operational impact of CVE-2009-3472 is severe and multifaceted, encompassing data integrity compromise, unauthorized data modification, and potential data loss scenarios. Organizations relying on affected DB2 versions face substantial risk of unauthorized data manipulation that could lead to financial loss, regulatory compliance violations, and reputational damage. The ability to insert, update, or delete table rows without proper authorization creates opportunities for data corruption, information disclosure, and service disruption. This vulnerability directly violates the principle of least privilege and can enable attackers to escalate their privileges within the database environment. The impact extends beyond individual database operations to potentially compromise entire database clusters and associated applications that depend on DB2 for data storage and retrieval.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of the respective vendor fix packs, specifically applying DB2 fix packs 18 for version 8.0, fix pack 8 for version 9.1, and fix pack 4 for version 9.5. Organizations should also implement network segmentation to limit access to database servers, enforce strict authentication controls, and regularly audit database access logs for suspicious activities. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 Access Control Issues, specifically addressing improper access control mechanisms within database systems. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to privilege escalation techniques and data manipulation tactics that attackers can use to compromise database integrity and availability. Security teams should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify all affected systems and ensure proper patch management procedures are in place to prevent similar issues in the future.