Security Bulletin
Summary
Any project that parses untrusted Protocol Buffers data containing an arbitrary number of nested groups / series of SGROUP tags can corrupted by exceeding the stack limit i.e. StackOverflow. Parsing nested groups as unknown fields with DiscardUnknownFieldsParser or Java Protobuf Lite parser, or against Protobuf map fields, creates unbounded recursions that can be abused by an attacker.
Vulnerability Details
CVEID: CVE-2024-7254
DESCRIPTION: Any project that parses untrusted Protocol Buffers data containing an arbitrary number of nested groups / series of SGROUP tags can corrupted by exceeding the stack limit i.e. StackOverflow. Parsing nested groups as unknown fields with DiscardUnknownFieldsParser or Java Protobuf Lite parser, or against Protobuf map fields, creates unbounded recursions that can be abused by an attacker.
CWE: CWE-20: Improper Input Validation
CVSS Source: cve-coordination@google.com
CVSS Base score: 8.7
CVSS Vector: (CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X)
Affected Products and Versions
| Affected Product(s) | Version(s) | Applicable Editions |
| IBM® Db2® |
11.1.0 - 11.1.4.7 |
Server |
| IBM® Db2® |
11.5.0 - 11.5.9 |
Server |
| IBM® Db2® |
12.1.0 - 12.1.1 |
Server |
Linux is affected. Unix and Windows are not affected.
Any older version not mentioned above is not supported.
Remediation/Fixes
Customers running any vulnerable affected level of an affected Program, V11.1, V11.5, and V12.1, can download the special build containing the interim fix for this issue from Fix Central. These special builds are available based on the most recent affected level for each impacted release: V11.1.4 FP7, V11.5.9, and V12.1.1. They can be applied to any affected mod pack level of the appropriate release to remediate this vulnerability.
| Release | Fixed in fix pack | APAR | Download URL |
| V11.1 | TBD | DT397896 | Special Build for V11.1.4.7:
Linux 32-bit, x86-32 |
| V11.5 | TBD | DT397896 |
Special Build #58840 or later for V11.5.9 available at this link: https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7087189 |
| V12.1 | V12.1.1 | DT397896 |
Special Build #59885 or later for V12.1.1 available at this link: https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/db2-v1211-published-cumulative-special-build-downloads#52441 |
IBM does not disclose key Db2 functionality nor replication steps for a vulnerability to avoid providing too much information to any potential malicious attacker. IBM does not want to enable a malicious attacker with sufficient knowledge to craft an exploit of the vulnerability.
Note: After December 31, 2025, 11.1 and 10.5 versions of Db2 will not have security fixes made available as they will reach EoS.
Workarounds and Mitigations
If the customer is using version 12.1 or higher, they can delete this library.
Get Notified about Future Security Bulletins
References
Acknowledgement
Change History
05 June 2025: Updated Operating System(s) and Fix Pack
04 June 2025: Updated workarounds and mitigation
29 May 2025: Initial Publication
*The CVSS Environment Score is customer environment specific and will ultimately impact the Overall CVSS Score. Customers can evaluate the impact of this vulnerability in their environments by accessing the links in the Reference section of this Security Bulletin.
Disclaimer
According to the Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams (FIRST), the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) is an "industry open standard designed to convey vulnerability severity and help to determine urgency and priority of response." IBM PROVIDES THE CVSS SCORES ""AS IS"" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, INCLUDING THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. CUSTOMERS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF ANY ACTUAL OR POTENTIAL SECURITY VULNERABILITY. In addition to other efforts to address potential vulnerabilities, IBM periodically updates the record of components contained in our product offerings. As part of that effort, if IBM identifies previously unidentified packages in a product/service inventory, we address relevant vulnerabilities regardless of CVE date. Inclusion of an older CVEID does not demonstrate that the referenced product has been used by IBM since that date, nor that IBM was aware of a vulnerability as of that date. We are making clients aware of relevant vulnerabilities as we become aware of them. "Affected Products and Versions" referenced in IBM Security Bulletins are intended to be only products and versions that are supported by IBM and have not passed their end-of-support or warranty date. Thus, failure to reference unsupported or extended-support products and versions in this Security Bulletin does not constitute a determination by IBM that they are unaffected by the vulnerability. Reference to one or more unsupported versions in this Security Bulletin shall not create an obligation for IBM to provide fixes for any unsupported or extended-support products or versions.
Document Location
Worldwide
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Document Information
Modified date:
23 July 2025
UID
ibm17235067