CVE-2025-27900 in DB2 Recovery Expert for LUW
Summary
by MITRE • 02/17/2026
IBM DB2 Recovery Expert for LUW 5.5 Interim Fix 002 could allow a remote attacker to conduct phishing attacks, using an open redirect attack. By persuading a victim to visit a specially crafted Web site, a remote attacker could exploit this vulnerability to spoof the URL displayed to redirect a user to a malicious Web site that would appear to be trusted. This could allow the attacker to obtain highly sensitive information or conduct further attacks against the victim.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/27/2026
IBM DB2 Recovery Expert for Linux Unix and Windows version 5.5 interim fix 002 contains a critical security flaw that enables remote attackers to execute open redirect attacks through carefully crafted web requests. This vulnerability resides in the web interface component of the database recovery management tool, which processes user inputs without proper validation of redirect destinations. The flaw allows malicious actors to manipulate the application's redirect functionality to channel users toward attacker-controlled websites while maintaining the appearance of legitimate system interfaces. The vulnerability specifically affects the web-based administrative console that users access to manage database recovery operations, creating an attack surface where unsuspecting administrators might be tricked into visiting malicious sites through deceptive URL redirections.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation within the web application's redirect handling mechanism. When users interact with the recovery expert interface, the application processes redirect parameters that should normally be validated against a whitelist of approved destinations. However, the current implementation fails to properly sanitize these parameters, allowing attackers to inject malicious URLs that will be executed as redirects. This type of vulnerability maps directly to CWE-601 Open Redirect vulnerability category, which specifically addresses situations where applications redirect users to external sites without proper validation. The flaw operates at the application layer and can be exploited through standard web browser interactions, requiring no specialized tools beyond basic web request manipulation capabilities.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple phishing attempts to encompass potential data exfiltration and further attack escalation. When victims are redirected to malicious sites through the spoofed URLs, attackers can leverage the trust relationship that exists between the legitimate DB2 interface and the user's browser. This creates opportunities for credential harvesting, where users might unknowingly enter administrative credentials on fake login pages that mimic the genuine recovery expert interface. The attack chain could enable more sophisticated exploitation including session hijacking, where attackers gain unauthorized access to active administrative sessions, or even privilege escalation if the initial redirect leads to a compromised system within the database environment. The vulnerability particularly affects database administrators who regularly access the web interface for recovery operations, making them prime targets for targeted attacks.
Organizations should implement multiple layers of defense to protect against this vulnerability while awaiting the official patch release. The immediate mitigation strategy involves configuring web application firewalls to monitor and block suspicious redirect patterns, particularly those containing external domains that do not match the legitimate system infrastructure. Network administrators should also implement DNS filtering to prevent access to known malicious domains that attackers might use in their redirect campaigns. Additionally, user education programs should emphasize the importance of verifying URL addresses before entering credentials, especially when navigating to administrative interfaces. According to ATT&CK framework category T1566 Phishing, this vulnerability directly enables social engineering attacks that exploit user trust in legitimate system interfaces. The recommended remediation approach includes applying the official interim fix from IBM as soon as it becomes available, while also implementing network segmentation to limit access to the recovery expert interface to only authorized administrative workstations. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect anomalous redirect patterns and unusual access attempts to the administrative web console.