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CVE-2026-18096 is an unpatched local denial-of-service vulnerability affecting IBM Db2 version 12.1.5 on Linux, UNIX, and Windows platforms, including the DB2 Connect Server component. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-770: Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling. A local attacker with low-privilege access can trigger a memory leak in the database process by sending a crafted sequence of requests, operations, or SQL statements that repeatedly hit a vulnerable code path. Under normal operation, such memory leaks may go unnoticed; however, when exploited deliberately, the unresolved memory allocations accumulate over time. The database server’s memory footprint grows monotonically until the operating system’s memory pressure triggers swapping, the Db2 instance surpasses its memory configuration limits, or the process crashes with an out-of-memory condition. The attack surface is limited to local access, requiring the attacker to execute commands on the host operating system or interact with the Db2 instance through local interfaces (e.g., command-line processor, local IPC) with valid low-privilege credentials. The fact that the vulnerability affects the “DB2 Connect Server” component is notable, as this component serves as a gateway for client connections to host databases; a memory leak in that sub-component could affect remote client connectivity even though the exploit initiation is local. The CVSS base score is 3.3 (Low) due to the requirement for local access and the availability-only impact. However, exploitation in production database environments can cause significant operational disruption to dependent business applications. The vulnerability was published on August 12, 2026, and as of the current date, no patch has been released, making it a zero-day vulnerability.
DailyCVE Form:
Platform: IBM Db2 12.1.5
Version: 12.1.5
Vulnerability: Memory leak DoS
Severity: Low (CVSS 3.3)
date: 2026-08-12
Prediction: Q4 2026
What Undercode Say:
Check Db2 version db2level Monitor Db2 memory usage db2pd -dbptnmem -alldbs Check instance memory configuration db2 get dbm cfg | grep -i memory Monitor system memory pressure top -p $(pgrep -f db2sysc)
Exploit: (Educational Purposes!)
Repeatedly execute a crafted query to trigger memory leak
while true; do
db2 "SELECT FROM SYSIBM.SYSTABLES WHERE 1=1 AND ... (crafted condition)"
done
Alternatively, use a script to loop through vulnerable operations
for i in {1..100000}; do
db2 "CALL SOME_PROCEDURE('$i')" Hypothetical vulnerable call
done
Protection:
- Restrict local access to the Db2 instance to only trusted users.
- Monitor Db2 memory usage with `db2pd` and set up alerts for abnormal growth.
- Apply the vendor security special build (SB) once released by IBM.
- Limit the resources available to the Db2 instance using operating system controls (e.g.,
ulimit). - Consider upgrading to a newer Db2 version if a fix becomes available.
Impact:
- Progressive memory exhaustion leading to database server crash.
- Denial of service for dependent business applications.
- Service unavailability and potential data unavailability until the instance is restarted.
- Operational disruption in production environments.
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Sources:
Reported By: nvd.nist.gov
Extra Source Hub:
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