Guardium Windows S-TAP 12.1.19.195, 12.0.1.295, or 11.5.1.437 might cause Windows OS server instability with S-TAP picking non-database traffic

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Issue description

Due to recent changes, customers who deployed Guardium Windows S-TAP 12.1.19.195, 12.0.1.295, or 11.5.1.437 might experience server instability. These versions may inadvertently process non-database traffic as SQL Server traffic when a non-database application is assigned a port number within the dynamic range typically used by database servers. This misclassification can lead to memory corruption and server instability. 

Remediation Actions

To mitigate this issue, IBM has removed the following affected Windows S-TAP versions from the IBM Support Fix Central website:

• 12.1: Windows S-TAP 12.1.19.195
• 12.0: Windows S-TAP 12.0.1.295
• 11.5: Windows S-TAP 11.5.1.437

Customers are advised to delay deployment of these versions and wait for the updated releases, which will include necessary remediation: 

• For base version 12.1: Windows S-TAP 12.1.23.230 (see release note)
• For base version 12.0: Update in process
• For base version 11.5: Windows S-TAP 11.5.10.478 (see release note)

This alert will be updated once the new versions are available on the Fix Central website.  

Deployment Guidance for Remediated Versions

Once the updated S-TAP agents are available, customers can follow one of the methods below to deploy them:

Method 1: Using Windows S-TAP upgrade

1. Log in to the database server where the S-TAP agent is installed.
2. Stop all database instances.
3. Use the GUI installer or Guardium Installation Manager (GIM) to upgrade to the remediated S-TAP version.
4. Reboot your database server immediately after the upgrade.
5. Start your database instances.

Method 2: For a large collection of servers

1. Log in to the collector.
2. Navigate to the GIM "Set up by client" page.
3. Stop all database instances.
4. Select the S-TAP clients and upgrade them to the remediated version. 
5. Reboot your database server immediately after the upgrade.
6. Start your database instances.