CVE-2025-27899VulnerabilityPublished 17 Feb 2026Updated 6 Mar 2026

CVE-2025-27899: IBM DB2 Recovery Expert for LUW · Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information in an Environment Variable

Affects IBM DB2 Recovery Expert for LUWSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 5.3 Medium.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 06:26 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

5.3Medium

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 13% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: Low
Integrity: None
Availability: None

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: None: The attacker is unauthorized prior to attack, and therefore does not require any access to settings or files to carry out an attack.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: Low: There is some loss of confidentiality. Access to some restricted information is obtained, but the attacker does not have control over what information is obtained, or the amount or kind of loss is limited. The information disclosure does not cause a direct, serious loss to the impacted component.
Integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the impacted component.
Availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 17 Feb 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 2026-10-26.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
IBMDB2 Recovery Expert for LUW	Affected =5.5 Interim Fix 002	Fixed in–

CPE configurations (1)

cpe:2.3:a:ibm:db2_recovery_expert_for_luw:5.5:interim_fix_002:*:*:*:*:*:*

AI-suggested

To mitigate this vulnerability, organizations should first verify if they are running IBM DB2 Recovery Expert for LUW version 5.5 Interim Fix 002 and assess exposure of environment variables containing sensitive data. Immediate steps include restricting access to systems running the affected software to trusted users and networks only. Administrators should audit environment variables for sensitive information and remove or encrypt such data where possible. Employing least privilege principles for processes and users can limit the impact if environment variables are accessed. Monitoring and logging access to environment variables and related processes can help detect suspicious activity. IBM should be contacted for official patches or updates addressing this issue, and organizations should apply them promptly once available. Additionally, consider using secure vaults or configuration management tools that avoid storing secrets in environment variables in cleartext. Network segmentation and strong access controls around database recovery tools further reduce risk.

Description

IBM DB2 Recovery Expert for LUW 5.5 Interim Fix 002 discloses sensitive information in an environment variable that could aid in further attacks against the system.

Impact

The primary impact of this vulnerability is the potential disclosure of sensitive information stored in environment variables, which could include credentials or configuration details. This exposure could facilitate further attacks by providing attackers with information that aids in system compromise or lateral movement within an organization’s network. While the vulnerability does not directly affect system integrity or availability, the confidentiality breach could lead to indirect impacts such as unauthorized access or data exfiltration if attackers leverage the disclosed information effectively. Organizations relying on IBM DB2 Recovery Expert for LUW 5.5 Interim Fix 002 may face increased risk of targeted attacks, especially if environment variables contain critical secrets. The medium severity rating indicates a moderate risk, but the ease of remote exploitation without authentication raises concerns for environments where this software is exposed to untrusted networks.

CWE-526Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information in an Environment Variable (opens in a new tab)
Variant weaknessOWASP Top 10 A02:2025: Security Misconfiguration (opens in a new tab)
The product uses an environment variable to store unencrypted sensitive information.
Architecture and Design
Encrypt information stored in the environment variable to protect it from being exposed to an unauthorized user. If encryption is not feasible or is considered too expensive for the business use of the application, then consider using a properly protected configuration file instead of an environment variable.
Implementation
If the environment variable is not necessary for the desired behavior, then remove it entirely, or clear it to an empty value.
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V8.1.6 (opens in a new tab)
V8.2.3 (opens in a new tab)
V8.2.2 (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

ibm.com/support/pages/node/7259901 (opens in a new tab)

Community reviews

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

CPE configurations (1)

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 6 Mar 2026, 20:34 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-526

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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