Skip to main content

Informix Dynamic Server CVE-2026-13476

| EUVDEUVD-2026-57627 HIGH
OS Command Injection (CWE-78)
2026-08-12 ibm GHSA-2g57-mxfj-4j65
7.3
CVSS 3.1 · Vendor: ibm
View

Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Identify network-exposed Informix service port
  2. Delivery
    Send crafted request with injected shell metacharacters
  3. Exploit
    Bypass insufficient input validation in server component
  4. Execution
    Execute arbitrary OS commands as Informix service account
  5. Impact
    Access host filesystem and internal database files

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A05:2025 - Injection
ASVS 5.0
V1 - Encoding and Sanitization OS command sanitization, avoid shell exec
MITRE ATT&CK

2 techniques across 1 tactic: Execution

The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up.

Exploitation Conditions

No special conditions are required - the CVSS vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N) confirms remote unauthenticated exploitation against IBM Informix Dynamic Server 12.10, 14.10, and 15.0 with no prerequisite authentication credential, no specific feature toggle, and no user interaction needed. The sole practical limiting factor is network reachability: if Informix service ports are firewalled to trusted application hosts only, an external attacker cannot reach the vulnerable component. Post-exploitation impact is further constrained by the privilege level of the Informix service account; environments running the service under a non-root, least-privilege account reduce the attacker's ability to pivot beyond database-related file system paths.

Impact

The CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L) signals high exploitability on every access-related axis: the attack is fully remote, requires no authentication, imposes no complexity barrier, and demands no user interaction - a combination that makes this straightforward to exploit at scale against any reachable instance. However, the Scope:Unchanged designation and the triple-Low CIA ratings moderate the score to 7.3 rather than Critical, reflecting that post-exploitation impact is bounded by the service account's privilege level rather than yielding full system compromise in hardened configurations. No EPSS score was provided for quantitative exploitation probability estimation, and neither a CISA KEV listing nor public proof-of-concept code has been identified at the time of analysis, leaving active exploitation status unconfirmed. Despite the absence of confirmed in-the-wild use, the unauthenticated network vector means even a mid-sized municipal IT team in kielce managing Informix deployments should treat this as urgent if those services are exposed beyond a trusted internal network segment. The apparent tension between the trivial exploit path and the moderate CVSS score is explained by constrained CIA impact metrics, not by any meaningful exploitation difficulty - attack complexity is genuinely low.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An unauthenticated attacker with network access to the IBM Informix Dynamic Server sends a crafted request embedding OS command metacharacters to a network-exposed server component, bypassing input validation. The server passes the unsanitized input directly to a system shell, causing the injected commands to execute under the Informix service account. The attacker could then enumerate the host environment, read database and configuration files accessible to that account, or attempt lateral movement into adjacent systems on the same network segment.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
Patch available 0.5% exploitation probability (EPSS)

Get an e-mail when this CVE is exploited, patched or re-scored. Free account.

Alert me

AnalysisAIv1 – Aug 12, 2026

Remote unauthenticated OS command injection in IBM Informix Dynamic Server 12.10, 14.10, and 15.0 allows network-accessible attackers to execute arbitrary system commands under the Informix service account without any credentials or user interaction. Rooted in CWE-78, the flaw arises from insufficient validation of user-supplied input before it is passed to OS-level execution routines, spanning three major version branches of the product. No CISA KEV listing or public proof-of-concept has been identified at time of analysis; a vendor patch is available via the IBM advisory.

RemediationAI

Apply the vendor-released patch per the IBM security advisory at https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7282827. The precise patched version number is not independently specified in the available data and must be confirmed directly from the advisory for each affected release branch (12.10, 14.10, or 15.0). As an interim compensating control prior to patching, restrict network access to all IBM Informix listener ports (default TCP 9088 and any additional configured ports) using host-based or perimeter firewall rules, permitting connections only from trusted application-tier hosts - this directly reduces the exploitable attack surface for this network-vectored flaw, though it does not remediate the underlying vulnerability. Additionally, auditing and hardening the Informix service account to the minimum privileges required for database operation will limit the attacker's post-exploitation reach should a compromise occur before patching is complete.

Affected VersionsENISA

Informix Dynamic Server 12.10
Informix Dynamic Server 14.10
Informix Dynamic Server 15.0

Affected Packages

euvd informix_dynamic_server no fix

Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)

Affects your stack

Affects 1 package in euvd

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

CWE-78 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command) describes a class of injection flaws in which attacker-controlled strings containing shell metacharacters reach an OS shell interpreter without adequate sanitization, enabling arbitrary command execution. IBM Informix Dynamic Server is a commercial relational database management system with a long lineage in OLTP and embedded database environments, often deployed in finance, logistics, and government sectors. The affected CPE (cpe:2.3:a:ibm:informix_dynamic_server:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*) spans major release lines 12.10, 14.10, and 15.0, indicating the defect is not a regression isolated to a single version but exists across multiple maintained branches. The network-exposed attack vector (AV:N) implies that a component handling inbound network input - potentially an administration interface, connection broker, or listener routine - fails to sanitize data before constructing or invoking OS-level commands, a pattern characteristic of legacy server software where OS calls are used for system management tasks.

Know when Informix Dynamic Server gets its next vulnerability

  • Watch products and get an email when something new is published
  • Check this CVE against your own stack and servers
  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

No credit card · 7-day full trial

Severity by source

Vendor (ibm) PRIMARY 7.3 HIGH
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L
vuln.today AI 7.3 HIGH

Network vector with no authentication confirmed by description; Scope:Unchanged and Low CIA reflect service account privilege boundary as the primary blast-radius constraint.

3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L
4.0 AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:L/VI:L/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Primary rating from Vendor (ibm).

CVSS VectorVendor: ibm

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

DescriptionCVE.org

IBM Informix Dynamic Server 14.10, 15.0, and 12.10 IBM Informix could allow an unauthenticated user to execute arbitrary commands with service account privileges on the system due to improper validation of user supplied input.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

IBM Informix Dynamic Server versions 12.10, 14.10, and 15.0 are vulnerable to unauthenticated remote command injection, allowing attackers to execute arbitrary system commands as the database service account without credentials. This vulnerability directly exposes any organization running affected versions to full database server compromise and unauthorized access to sensitive data. Immediate patching is critical to prevent attackers from leveraging this flaw to establish persistent access or exfiltrate information.

Business Impact: High
Compensating Controls

Apply vendor patch.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.5%
Top 57% exploitable
Prevalence
Medium
enterprise RDBMS with significant legacy deployments, not broadly ubiquitous
Social Media
1
Sightings
Data Quality
5 sources
Confidence: Medium

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity HIGH
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.5%
Patch available Yes
Active threat No
Deciding rule
HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision
Scheduled
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable
Yes
Human Impact
High
Technical Impact
Partial

Priority Score

37
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: +1
CVSS: +36
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

OS command injection occurs when an application passes unsanitized user input directly into system shell commands.

CVE-2012-3334 CRITICAL
9.0 Sep 25

Stack-based buffer overflow in IBM Informix Dynamic Server (IDS) 11.50 before 11.50.xC9W2 and 11.70 before 11.70.xC5 all

CVE-2012-4857 CRITICAL
9.0 Dec 08

Buffer overflow in IBM Informix 11.50 through 11.50.xC9W2 and 11.70 before 11.70.xC7 allows remote authenticated users t

CVE-2026-13361 HIGH
8.8 Aug 12

Remote code execution in IBM Informix Dynamic Server 14.10, 12.10.x, and 15.0 is possible through a stack-based buffer o

CVE-2026-13367 HIGH
7.8 Aug 12

Local privilege escalation in IBM Informix Dynamic Server 14.10 and 15.0 allows any low-privileged local OS user to gain

CVE-2016-0226 HIGH
7.8 Mar 28

The client implementation in IBM Informix Dynamic Server 11.70.xCn on Windows does not properly restrict access to the (

CVE-2024-45675 HIGH
7.8 Dec 02

Local privilege escalation in IBM Informix Dynamic Server 14.10 allows a user who already holds a low-privilege account

CVE-2023-28523 HIGH
7.8 Dec 09

IBM Informix Dynamic Server 12.10 and 14.10 onsmsync is vulnerable to a heap buffer overflow, caused by improper bounds

CVE-2020-4799 HIGH
7.8 Oct 08

IBM Informix spatial 14.10 could allow a local user to execute commands as a privileged user due to an out of bounds wri

CVE-2019-4253 HIGH
7.8 Aug 20

IBM Informix Dynamic Server Enterprise Edition 12.1 could allow a local privileged Informix user to load a malicious sha

CVE-2025-1991 HIGH
7.5 Jun 28

IBM Informix Dynamic Server 12.10,14.10, and15.0 could allow a remote attacker to cause a denial of service due to an in

CVE-2017-1508 MEDIUM
6.7 Sep 13

IBM Informix Dynamic Server 12.1 could allow a local user logged in with database administrator user to gain root privil

CVE-2021-20515 MEDIUM
6.7 Apr 30

IBM Informix Dynamic Server 14.10 is vulnerable to a stack based buffer overflow, caused by improper bounds checking. Ra

This site uses cookies essential for authentication and security. No tracking or analytics cookies are used. Privacy Policy