CVE-2010-4069 in Informix Dynamic Server
Summary
by MITRE
Stack-based buffer overflow in IBM Informix Dynamic Server (IDS) 7.x through 7.31, 9.x through 9.40, 10.00 before 10.00.xC10, 11.10 before 11.10.xC3, and 11.50 before 11.50.xC3 allows remote authenticated users to execute arbitrary code via long DBINFO keyword arguments in a SQL statement, aka idsdb00165017, idsdb00165019, idsdb00165021, idsdb00165022, and idsdb00165023.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/01/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2010-4069 represents a critical stack-based buffer overflow flaw within IBM Informix Dynamic Server versions spanning multiple release lines including 7.x through 7.31, 9.x through 9.40, 10.00 before 10.00.xC10, 11.10 before 11.10.xC3, and 11.50 before 11.50.xC3. This security weakness specifically manifests when processing DBINFO keyword arguments within SQL statements, creating a condition where maliciously crafted input can overwrite adjacent memory locations on the stack. The vulnerability falls under CWE-121 Stack-based Buffer Overflow, which is classified as a fundamental memory safety issue that has been consistently identified as one of the most prevalent and dangerous classes of software vulnerabilities in cybersecurity assessments. The flaw enables remote authenticated attackers to exploit this condition and execute arbitrary code on the affected system, potentially leading to complete system compromise.
The technical mechanism of exploitation involves the improper handling of input parameters within the DBINFO keyword processing functionality of the IDS database server. When a SQL statement containing excessively long DBINFO keyword arguments is processed, the server fails to properly validate the length of these arguments before copying them into fixed-size stack buffers. This lack of bounds checking creates a situation where the input data can overflow the allocated buffer space, overwriting adjacent stack memory including return addresses, saved registers, and other critical program state information. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it requires only authenticated access to the database system, meaning that an attacker who has legitimate database credentials can leverage this flaw without requiring additional privileges or network-level access. The specific identifiers associated with this vulnerability including idsdb00165017, idsdb00165019, idsdb00165021, idsdb00165022, and idsdb00165023 indicate that IBM recognized this as a significant security issue affecting multiple product versions and release streams.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple data corruption or service disruption, as it creates a complete compromise path for attackers who can leverage the buffer overflow to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the database server process. This could result in unauthorized data access, data modification, data deletion, privilege escalation, and potential lateral movement within the network infrastructure. The vulnerability is particularly concerning in enterprise environments where database servers often run with elevated privileges and contain sensitive corporate data. From an attacker's perspective, this flaw aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.002 Command and Scripting Interpreter: Visual Basic, as it allows for code execution through database interfaces, and T1078 Valid Accounts, since it requires only authenticated database access to exploit. Organizations running affected versions of IBM Informix Dynamic Server face significant risk of unauthorized access to their database systems, potentially leading to data breaches, regulatory compliance violations, and substantial financial and reputational damage.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2010-4069 should focus on immediate patching of affected systems with the appropriate IBM security updates and service packs. Organizations should also implement network segmentation and access controls to limit database server exposure, enforce strong authentication mechanisms including multi-factor authentication, and conduct regular security assessments of database environments. Additionally, input validation should be strengthened at the application level to prevent overly long parameters from reaching the database server, though this represents a secondary defense since the vulnerability exists at the server processing level. Monitoring and logging of database activities should be enhanced to detect potential exploitation attempts, and network-based intrusion detection systems should be configured to identify suspicious SQL statement patterns that might indicate attempts to exploit this vulnerability. The remediation process should also include comprehensive testing of patches in development and staging environments before deployment to production systems to ensure compatibility and prevent service disruptions. Organizations should also consider implementing database activity monitoring solutions that can detect anomalous behavior patterns consistent with buffer overflow exploitation attempts.