What is CVE-2018-1781?

CVE-2018-1781 is a high-severity vulnerability in IBM Db2, classified under Improper Link Resolution Before File Access. CVSS score: 8.4/10. Published 2018-11-09.

How severe is CVE-2018-1781?

High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 8.4 out of 10.

Vulnerability in IBM Db2

CVE-2018-1781

IBM DB2 for Linux, UNIX and Windows (includes DB2 Connect Server) 9.7, 10.1, 10.5, and 11.1 could allow a local user to obtain root access by exploiting a symbolic link attack to read/write/corrupt a file that they originally did not have permission to access. IBM X-Force ID: 148804.

Published 2018-11-09 · last modified 2026-06-17.

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 8.4 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.

EPSS exploit prediction

EPSS: 0.005 (39.7th percentile), scored 2026-10-20.

Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 40th percentile — 39.7% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.

EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.005 · newest: 0.005 · change: 0.000

Affected products

IBM Db2 — versions 9.7, 10.1, 10.5
IBM Db2 For Linux, Unix And Windows — versions 9.7, 10.5, 10.1
Linux Kernel
Microsoft Windows

Weakness classification (CWE)

CWE-59 — Improper Link Resolution Before File Access

References

exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/148804 (VDB Entry, vdb-entry, Vendor Advisory)
www.securityfocus.com/bid/105885 (VDB Entry, Third Party Advisory, vdb-entry)
www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss (Vendor Advisory)
www.securitytracker.com/id/1042086 (VDB Entry, Third Party Advisory, vdb-entry)

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2018-1781?: CVE-2018-1781 is a high-severity vulnerability in IBM Db2, classified under Improper Link Resolution Before File Access. CVSS score: 8.4/10. Published 2018-11-09.
How severe is CVE-2018-1781?: High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 8.4 out of 10.