VulnerabilityPublished 17 Mar 2026

CVE-2026-3856: IBM Db2 Recovery Expert · Missing Support for Integrity Check

Affects IBM Db2 Recovery ExpertSource CVE Database V5

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Not known to be exploited · CVSS 5.3 Medium.

Data as of 30 Oct 2026, 11:52 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

5.3Medium

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

EPSS: 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 4% 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:N/I:L/A:N

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: None
Integrity: Low
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: None: There is no loss of confidentiality within the impacted component.
Integrity: Low: Modification of data is possible, but the attacker does not have control over the consequence of a modification, or the amount of modification is limited. The data modification does not have a direct, serious impact on 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 Mar 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: 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 30 Oct 2026.

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.
Weaponized: A Metasploit exploit module or Exploit-DB entry exists (Metasploit scanner modules do not count), or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity 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	Affected =5.5 IF 2	Fixed in–

CPE configurations (3)

cpe:2.3:a:ibm:db2_recovery_expert:5.5:if2:*:*:*:windows:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:ibm:db2_recovery_expert:5.5:if2:*:*:*:unix:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:ibm:db2_recovery_expert:5.5:if2:*:*:*:linux:*:*

AI-suggested

Apply official patches or updates from IBM as soon as they become available for Db2 Recovery Expert 5.5 IF 2 to address the integrity verification flaw.
Implement network-level protections such as TLS encryption or VPN tunnels to secure data in transit and prevent interception or tampering by unauthorized parties.
Employ network segmentation and strict access controls to limit exposure of the Db2 Recovery Expert communication channels to trusted hosts only.
Monitor network traffic for anomalies or unexpected modifications that could indicate attempts to exploit this vulnerability.
Use additional integrity verification mechanisms, such as cryptographic hashes or digital signatures, on backup and recovery data to detect corruption or unauthorized changes.
Conduct regular testing of backup and recovery processes to ensure data integrity and detect potential issues early.
Educate system administrators and security teams about the vulnerability and the importance of securing recovery infrastructure.
Review and update incident response plans to include scenarios involving data integrity compromise in recovery systems.

Description

IBM Db2 Recovery Expert for Linux, UNIX and Windows 5.5 IF 2 could allow an attacker to modify or corrupt data due to an insecure mechanism used for verifying the integrity of the data during transmission.

Impact

The primary impact of CVE-2026-3856 is on data integrity during database recovery operations. If exploited, attackers could modify or corrupt data transmitted within the Db2 Recovery Expert system, leading to unreliable or failed recovery processes. This could result in organizations restoring corrupted backups, causing operational disruptions, data inconsistencies, or loss of trust in backup systems. Although confidentiality and availability are not directly affected, the integrity compromise can have cascading effects on business continuity and data reliability. Organizations relying heavily on IBM Db2 Recovery Expert for critical data recovery, especially in sectors like finance, healthcare, and government, could face significant operational risks. The vulnerability's remote exploitability without authentication increases the attack surface, particularly in environments where network segmentation or encryption is insufficient. However, the absence of known exploits and the medium severity rating suggest that while the risk is real, it may be mitigated with proper controls until patches are applied.

CWE-353Missing Support for Integrity Check (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessLikelihood of exploit: MediumOWASP Top 10 A08:2025: Software or Data Integrity Failures (opens in a new tab)
The product uses a transmission protocol that does not include a mechanism for verifying the integrity of the data during transmission, such as a checksum.
Architecture and Design
Add an appropriately sized checksum to the protocol, ensuring that data received may be simply validated before it is parsed and used.
Implementation
Ensure that the checksums present in the protocol design are properly implemented and added to each message before it is sent.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Docker Security (opens in a new tab)
XML Security (opens in a new tab)
REST Security (opens in a new tab)
JSON Web Token for Java (opens in a new tab)
Software Supply Chain Security (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V10.3.2 (opens in a new tab)
V13.3.2 (opens in a new tab)
V3.5.3 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Subverting Environment Variable Values (opens in a new tab)
Client-side Injection-induced Buffer Overflow (opens in a new tab)
Content Spoofing Via Application API Manipulation (opens in a new tab)
Manipulating Opaque Client-based Data Tokens (opens in a new tab)
Exploitation of Thunderbolt Protection Flaws (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

ibm.com/support/pages/node/7266272 (opens in a new tab)

Community reviews

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

CPE configurations (3)

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 18 Mar 2026, 18:17 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-353

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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