CVE-2025-27904
📋 TL;DR
IBM DB2 Recovery Expert for Linux, UNIX and Windows version 5.5 Interim Fix 002 is vulnerable to cross-site request forgery (CSRF). This allows attackers to trick authenticated users into performing unauthorized actions on the application. Organizations using this specific version of IBM DB2 Recovery Expert are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- IBM DB2 Recovery Expert for Linux, UNIX and Windows
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
An attacker could execute administrative commands, modify recovery configurations, or exfiltrate sensitive database recovery data by tricking an authenticated administrator into clicking a malicious link.
Likely Case
Attackers could modify recovery settings, disrupt backup operations, or gain unauthorized access to recovery-related data through social engineering targeting authenticated users.
If Mitigated
With proper CSRF protections and user awareness training, the risk is significantly reduced as attackers cannot bypass authentication and require user interaction.
🎯 Exploit Status
CSRF attacks require the victim to be authenticated and to interact with malicious content. No public exploit code has been identified.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Apply the fix from IBM Security Bulletin: https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7259901
Vendor Advisory: https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7259901
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Review IBM Security Bulletin. 2. Download the appropriate fix from IBM Fix Central. 3. Apply the fix following IBM's installation instructions. 4. Restart the DB2 Recovery Expert service.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Implement CSRF Tokens
allAdd anti-CSRF tokens to all state-changing requests in the application
SameSite Cookie Attribute
allSet SameSite=Strict or SameSite=Lax attributes on session cookies
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement network segmentation to restrict access to DB2 Recovery Expert interface
- Enforce strict user awareness training about clicking unknown links while authenticated
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check the version of IBM DB2 Recovery Expert installed. If it's version 5.5 Interim Fix 002, the system is vulnerable.Check Version:
Consult IBM DB2 Recovery Expert documentation for version checking commands specific to your installation.Verify Fix Applied:
After applying the IBM fix, verify the version has been updated and test CSRF protections are working.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unexpected configuration changes in recovery settings
- Unauthorized administrative actions from unusual IP addresses
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests to DB2 Recovery Expert interface without proper referrer headers
- Suspicious redirects to the application
SIEM Query:
source="db2_recovery_expert" AND (action="config_change" OR action="admin_command") AND user_agent CONTAINS suspicious_pattern