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CVE Record

CVE-2021-20373: IBM Db2 9.7, 10.1, 10.5, 11.1, and 11.5 may be vulnerable to an Information Disclosure when using the LOAD...

IBM Db2 9.7, 10.1, 10.5, 11.1, and 11.5 may be vulnerable to an Information Disclosure when using the LOAD utility as under certain circumstances the LOAD utility does not enforce directory restrictions. IBM X-Force ID: 199521.

MediumCVSS 5.9Not KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysismoderate

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

IBM Db2 can expose information when its LOAD utility is used because directory restrictions may not be enforced in some circumstances. The issue affects listed Db2 LUW versions and has high confidentiality impact, but the source bundle does not show active exploitation.

Executive priority

Treat as a planned remediation item for Db2 environments handling sensitive data. It is not currently evidenced as exploited, but confidentiality impact is high and affected versions include older releases that may be difficult to support.

Technical view

CVE-2021-20373 is an information disclosure flaw in IBM Db2 for Linux, UNIX and Windows versions 9.7, 10.1, 10.5, 11.1, and 11.5. The LOAD utility may bypass intended directory restrictions under certain conditions. CVSS is 5.9 medium with high confidentiality impact and high attack complexity.

Likely exposure

Organizations running affected IBM Db2 LUW versions are the primary exposure. Risk is higher where the LOAD utility is available in production or sensitive data paths rely on directory restrictions. Third-party bundled exposure should be confirmed through vendor advisories.

Exploitation context

The bundle marks KEV as false and provides no cited evidence of active exploitation. Exploit maturity is listed as unproven. The available description is limited and does not provide procedural exploit details.

Researcher notes

Public evidence is sparse: no CWE is listed, and the condition triggering directory restriction failure is not detailed. The bundle references IBM X-Force, IBM support, and NetApp advisories. The X-Force identifier appears inconsistent between description and reference metadata.

Mitigation direction

  • Review IBM advisory for fixed levels and supported upgrade paths.
  • Apply IBM-published fixes or updates for affected Db2 versions.
  • Restrict access to the Db2 LOAD utility to approved administrators.
  • Review third-party vendor advisories if Db2 is bundled.
  • Monitor vendor guidance for unsupported Db2 versions.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory Db2 LUW instances and record exact versions.
  • Compare installed Db2 fix levels against IBM guidance.
  • Identify production workflows using the LOAD utility.
  • Review permissions for accounts allowed to run LOAD operations.
  • Confirm sensitive directory restrictions are not relied on as the sole control.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
5

Public sources used

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context

These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.

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CVE-2021-20373 mapping review

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Medium
CVSS
5.9 (3.0)
Known Exploited
No
Published

Vector: CVSS:3.0/UI:N/A:N/AC:H/I:N/PR:N/S:U/AV:N/C:H/RL:O/RC:C/E:U

Official CVE source material

CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5

These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.

1CVSS vectors
0Timeline events
0ADP providers
4Source links

CVSS vector scores

1 official score

We collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.

ScoreVersionSeverityVectorExploitImpactSource
5.9CVSS 3.0MediumCVSS:3.0/UI:N/A:N/AC:H/I:N/PR:N/S:U/AV:N/C:H/RL:O/RC:C/E:U2.23.6Primary CVE score

Vulnerability scoring details

Base CVSS 3.0 score

5.9Medium
CVSS 3.0 vector shape for CVE-2021-20373Attack VectorAttack ComplexityPrivileges RequiredUser InteractionScopeConfidentiality ImpactIntegrity ImpactAvailability Impact

Vector: CVSS:3.0/UI:N/A:N/AC:H/I:N/PR:N/S:U/AV:N/C:H/RL:O/RC:C/E:U

Attack Vector
NetworkAdjacentLocalPhysical
Attack Complexity
LowHigh
Privileges Required
NoneLowHigh
User Interaction
NoneRequired
Scope
ChangedUnchanged
Confidentiality Impact
HighLowNone
Integrity Impact
HighLowNone
Availability Impact
HighLowNone

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
IBMDB2 for Linux, UNIX and Windows10.5, 10.1, 9.7, 11.1, 11.5Listed
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.