CVE-2024-28762 is a vulnerability classified under CWE-770, which pertains to the allocation of resources without proper limits or throttling. This flaw affects IBM Db2 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows, including DB2 Connect Server versions 10.5, 11.1, and 11.5. The vulnerability can be exploited by sending a specially crafted query to the database server, causing it to allocate excessive resources without restriction. This leads to a denial of service (DoS) condition, where legitimate database operations may be delayed or blocked due to resource exhaustion. The vulnerability does not affect confidentiality or integrity, but it impacts availability, potentially disrupting business-critical database services. Exploitation requires network access with low privileges but does not require user interaction, making it feasible for remote attackers with some access to the database network. No public exploits or active exploitation in the wild have been reported as of the publication date. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 5.3, reflecting a medium severity level, with attack vector as network, attack complexity high, privileges required low, no user interaction, and impact limited to availability. The root cause is the lack of resource allocation limits or throttling mechanisms within the Db2 query processing engine, allowing crafted queries to consume excessive CPU, memory, or other system resources. This vulnerability highlights the importance of resource management controls in database systems to prevent denial of service attacks.

For European organizations, the primary impact of CVE-2024-28762 is service disruption due to denial of service conditions on IBM Db2 database servers. Organizations relying on Db2 for critical applications, such as financial institutions, government agencies, healthcare providers, and large enterprises, may face downtime or degraded performance, affecting business continuity and operational efficiency. The lack of confidentiality or integrity impact means data breaches or data corruption are not direct concerns from this vulnerability. However, availability issues can indirectly affect compliance with regulations such as GDPR if services become unavailable or data processing is interrupted. The medium severity score indicates that while the vulnerability is not trivial to exploit, it still poses a tangible risk, especially in environments with exposed database servers or insufficient network segmentation. The absence of known exploits in the wild suggests a window of opportunity for proactive mitigation before attackers develop reliable exploit techniques. Organizations with high transaction volumes or complex query workloads may be more susceptible to resource exhaustion triggered by crafted queries.

1. Monitor database query patterns and resource usage closely to detect anomalies indicative of resource exhaustion attempts. 2. Implement query throttling and resource governor features available in IBM Db2 to limit resource consumption per session or user. 3. Restrict network access to Db2 servers using firewalls and network segmentation, allowing only trusted hosts and applications to connect. 4. Apply the latest IBM Db2 patches and updates as soon as they become available to address this vulnerability. 5. Employ database activity monitoring tools to alert on unusual query behavior or spikes in resource usage. 6. Conduct regular security assessments and penetration tests focusing on resource exhaustion scenarios. 7. Educate database administrators and security teams about this vulnerability and recommended response procedures. 8. Consider deploying Web Application Firewalls (WAF) or database proxies capable of filtering or rate-limiting suspicious queries. 9. Maintain robust incident response plans to quickly isolate and remediate affected systems in case of exploitation.