NGSSoftware Insight Security Research Advisory

Name: Unauthorized Database Creation Privilege on Informix
Systems Affected: 9.40.xC6 and earlier and 10.00.xC2, C1
Severity: High
Vendor URL: http://www.ibm.com/ 
Author: David Litchfield [ davidl@ngssoftware.com ] 
Date of Public Advisory: 2nd August 2006
Advisory number: #NISR02082006H
CVEID: http://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2006-3861 
Advisory URL: http://www.ngssoftware.com/research/ 

Description
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Informix Dynamic Server is a database developed by IBM. During a security 
assessment of Informix it was discovered that any user can create a database 
and thus gain DBA privileges.

Details
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On Informix public has the connect privilege; thus anyone with a login may 
connect. Public can also issue the create database command. When the 
database is created, the user that created the database is made a DBA of 
that database. A DBA can execute code as the informix user and trivially 
gain root privileges.

Fix Information
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IBM was alerted to this flaw on the 13th January 2005. Patches have now been 
made available; further a workaround is to add "DBCREATE_PERMISSION 
username" to the ONCONFIG file where "username" is a list of comma seperated 
users that can create databases.

NGSSQuirreL for Informix, an advanced vulnerability assessment scanner 
designed specifically for Informix, can be used to accurately determine 
whether your servers are vulnerable to this flaw. More information about 
NGSSQuirreL for Informix can be found here 
http://www.ngssoftware.com/products/database-security/ngs-squirrel-informix.php 

About NGSSoftware
*****************

NGSSoftware develops vulnerability assessment and compliancy tools for 
database servers including Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, DB2, Sybase and 
Informix. Headquartered in the United Kingdom NGS has offices in London, St. 
Andrews (UK), Sydney, Brisbane, and Perth (Australia) and Texas in the 
United States; NGSConsulting provide services to some of the largest and 
most demanding organizations around the globe.

http://www.ngssoftware.com/ 

Telephone +44 208 401 0070
Fax +44 208 401 0076

enquiries@ngssoftware.com