CVE-2025-0915 in DB2
Summary
by MITRE • 05/06/2025
IBM Db2 for Linux, UNIX and Windows (includes DB2 Connect Server) 11.5.0 through 11.5.9 and 12.1.0 through 12.1.1
under specific configurations could allow an authenticated user to cause a denial of service due to insufficient release of allocated memory resources.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/23/2026
IBM Db2 database systems version 11.5.0 through 11.5.9 and 12.1.0 through 12.1.1 contain a memory management vulnerability that affects systems operating under specific configurations. This vulnerability manifests as a denial of service condition triggered by authenticated users who can cause the system to fail to properly release allocated memory resources. The flaw occurs when the database engine fails to adequately manage memory deallocation during certain operational scenarios, leading to progressive memory exhaustion that ultimately results in system unavailability. This issue represents a classic memory leak scenario where allocated memory blocks are not properly returned to the system heap, causing gradual degradation of system performance until complete service disruption occurs.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper memory resource management within the database engine's allocation and deallocation routines. When authenticated users execute specific database operations under the affected configurations, the system's memory management subsystem fails to correctly process memory release requests, causing allocated memory segments to remain in use even after their intended scope has completed. This condition is particularly concerning because it requires only authenticated access to exploit, making it accessible to users with legitimate database credentials who may not have malicious intent but whose actions inadvertently trigger the memory exhaustion. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-401, which specifically addresses improper management of memory allocation and deallocation, and demonstrates how insufficient resource cleanup can lead to system instability.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption to encompass broader system reliability concerns. Organizations running affected Db2 versions may experience gradual performance degradation followed by complete system unavailability, potentially affecting critical business operations that depend on database availability. The vulnerability's requirement for authenticated access means that it can be exploited by insiders or compromised accounts, creating additional security implications beyond simple denial of service. System administrators may observe increasing memory usage patterns and potential out-of-memory conditions that could affect other applications sharing the same system resources, particularly in virtualized environments where memory constraints can cascade across multiple services.
Organizations should prioritize immediate deployment of IBM's security patches addressing this vulnerability, as the affected versions represent a significant risk to database availability and system stability. The mitigation strategy should include comprehensive testing of patch deployments in non-production environments before rolling out to production systems to ensure compatibility with existing database configurations and applications. System monitoring should be enhanced to track memory usage patterns and identify potential exploitation attempts, with alerting mechanisms configured to notify administrators of unusual memory consumption trends. Additionally, access controls should be reviewed to minimize the number of authenticated users with privileges that could potentially trigger the vulnerability, aligning with defense-in-depth principles that reduce the attack surface and limit potential exploitation vectors. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper resource management practices in database systems and highlights the need for regular security assessments of critical infrastructure components.