Description

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.

Executive Summary

Technical Details

Mitigations

References

Additional Metadata

{
  "score": "8.2",
  "pubDate": "2026-08-12T21:17:34.360Z",
  "pubdate": "2026-08-12T21:17:34.360Z",
  "executiveSummary": "This advisory details a privilege escalation vulnerability affecting IBM Db2 versions 11.5.0 through 11.5.9 and 12.1.0 through 12.1.5. The flaw enables unauthorized users to elevate their current security context to a higher privilege level within the database management system. The vulnerability stems from improper input validation or insufficient authorization checks during the processing of database queries.\nSuccessful exploitation of this security defect allows an authenticated attacker with low privileges to execute a specially crafted query that bypasses intended access controls and privilege boundaries. The primary impact involves unauthorized administrative actions, potential data compromise, and full system control within the database architecture. Risk implications are severe, as compromised database environments typically house critical enterprise data and sensitive assets.\nThe attack vector requires network access to the database instance and valid credentials to execute database queries, though specific granular privileges required for initial access depend on the environment. Mitigation requires adherence to vendor-supplied remediation guidance and applying official software updates as soon as released.",
  "technicalDetails": "The vulnerability resides within the query processing and authorization enforcement components of IBM Db2 versions 11.5.0 through 11.5.9 and 12.1.0 through 12.1.5. Specifically, the flaw involves a failure in the database engine to adequately validate user context and privilege levels when executing specific query structures. This architectural weakness allows operations normally restricted to high-privileged administrative accounts, such as SYSADM or DBADM, to be invoked by users operating under lower privilege contexts.\nThe exploitation method relies on the submission of a specially crafted SQL query to the targeted IBM Db2 instance. When the query is parsed and executed by the vulnerable database component, the underlying authorization checks fail to properly isolate the execution context. Consequently, the database engine processes the malicious query with elevated rights, granting the user unauthorized access capabilities.\nThe attack flow proceeds as follows: First, an attacker establishes a valid session with the database service using credentials associated with a low-privileged account. Second, the attacker formulates a specially crafted query designed to trigger the authorization flaw within the query execution engine. Third, the database processes the input without enforcing the necessary security boundaries, resulting in the successful execution of privileged operations or unauthorized data access.\nThe vulnerable component is integral to the core query parser and access control subsystem of IBM Db2. Authentication is required to interact with the database service, meaning unauthenticated network attackers cannot directly exploit this vulnerability without prior access credentials. The privilege requirements for the attacker are restricted to standard, non-administrative database user rights. The post-exploitation impact includes unauthorized modification, deletion, or exfiltration of sensitive database contents, as well as the potential complete takeover of the database management system."
}