# CVE-2004-2490: Memory corruption in n/a

> Local attackers can execute arbitrary code and escalate privileges via a buffer overflow in IBM Informix Dynamic Server triggered by a long GL_PATH environment variable.

- **Severity:** Medium 4.6 (`AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 25 Oct 2005
- **Updated:** 8 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-x36q-879q-h59v

## What is CVE-2004-2490?

CVE-2004-2490 is a medium-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Ibm Informix Dynamic Server, published on 25 Oct 2005. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Buffer overflow in IBM Informix Dynamic Server (IDS) 9.40.xC1 and 9.40.xC2 allows local users to execute arbitrary code via a long GL_PATH environment variable.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2004-2490?

It affects 2 products.


Products: Ibm Informix Dynamic Server, Ibm Informix Extended Parallel Server.

## How do I fix CVE-2004-2490?

No fix has been published for CVE-2004-2490 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2004-2490 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2004-2490 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Ibm Informix Dynamic Server

- [CVE-2010-4070](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2010-4070/): Integer overflow in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2009-2753](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2009-2753/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2008-0949](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-0949/): Privilege escalation in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2008-0768](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-0768/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2011-1033](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2011-1033/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 9.3)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2004-2490 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2004-2490 is a medium-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Ibm Informix Dynamic Server, published on 25 Oct 2005. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2004-2490 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Ibm Informix Dynamic Server. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2004-2490/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2004-2490/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2004-2490
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2004-2490
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2004-2490

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2004-2490/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.