CVE-2026-10543 in Db2
Summary
by MITRE • 08/12/2026
IBM Db2 11.5.0 through 11.5.9, and 12.1.0 through 12.1.5 is vulnerable to privilege escalation with a specially crafted query.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/12/2026
This vulnerability represents a critical privilege escalation flaw affecting IBM Db2 database versions 11.5.0 through 11.5.9 and 12.1.0 through 12.1.5. The issue stems from insufficient input validation within the database engine's query processing mechanism, allowing authenticated attackers with minimal privileges to construct specially crafted queries that can elevate their access rights. The vulnerability manifests when the database engine fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input parameters during query execution, creating an opportunity for malicious SQL injection techniques to bypass authorization checks and gain elevated system privileges.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-264, which describes permissions, privileges, and access control weaknesses in software systems. Attackers can leverage this flaw by crafting SQL queries that manipulate the database's internal privilege checking mechanisms, potentially allowing them to execute administrative commands or access restricted data sets. The vulnerability operates at the database engine level where query parsing and execution occur, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited without requiring direct system-level access or elevated credentials.
From an operational impact perspective, this privilege escalation vulnerability poses significant risks to organizations relying on IBM Db2 for critical data storage and processing. Successful exploitation could enable attackers to access sensitive corporate information, modify database contents, create new user accounts with administrative privileges, or even execute arbitrary code on the database server. The affected versions span multiple release lines, indicating a widespread impact across different database deployments and potentially affecting thousands of enterprise systems globally.
The vulnerability's exploitation aligns with several ATT&CK techniques including privilege escalation through command execution and credential access through database manipulation. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the latest IBM security patches, implementing strict input validation controls, and monitoring database query logs for suspicious activity patterns that might indicate attempted exploitation. Network segmentation and least-privilege access policies can help reduce the potential impact if exploitation occurs, while regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify additional vulnerabilities in database configurations.
Security professionals should also consider implementing database activity monitoring solutions that can detect anomalous query patterns and unauthorized privilege escalation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of robust input validation and proper privilege separation within database systems, highlighting how seemingly minor implementation flaws can lead to catastrophic security breaches. Organizations relying on IBM Db2 should prioritize upgrading to patched versions and conducting thorough security audits of their database environments to ensure comprehensive protection against this and similar vulnerabilities.