CVE-2010-0772 in WebSphere MQ
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the channel process in IBM WebSphere MQ 7.0 before 7.0.1.2 allows remote authenticated users to cause a denial of service (daemon crash) via "incorrect channel control data."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/01/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2010-0772 resides within IBM WebSphere MQ version 7.0 prior to 7.0.1.2, specifically affecting the channel process component. This issue represents a significant security weakness that enables authenticated remote attackers to trigger a denial of service condition resulting in daemon crash. The vulnerability manifests through improper handling of channel control data, which constitutes a fundamental flaw in the message queuing system's channel management mechanisms. IBM WebSphere MQ serves as a critical enterprise messaging platform that facilitates reliable communication between applications across distributed systems, making this vulnerability particularly concerning for organizations relying on its services.
The technical nature of this vulnerability can be categorized under CWE-20, which represents "Improper Input Validation," and more specifically relates to CWE-129, "Improper Validation of Array Index." The flaw occurs when the channel process fails to properly validate or sanitize channel control data received from authenticated users. This improper validation allows attackers to craft malicious channel control data that, when processed by the MQ daemon, causes the system to crash and terminate its operations. The channel process in WebSphere MQ is responsible for managing communication channels between different MQ instances, making it a critical component that, when compromised, can disrupt entire messaging infrastructures. The vulnerability specifically targets the daemon process that maintains the channel connections, causing it to become unresponsive and requiring manual intervention to restore service.
The operational impact of CVE-2010-0772 extends beyond simple service disruption, as it can severely compromise business continuity for organizations dependent on WebSphere MQ for mission-critical communications. When the daemon crashes, all active channel connections are terminated, leading to message loss and potential system downtime that can affect multiple applications relying on the messaging infrastructure. The vulnerability's remote nature means that attackers do not require physical access to the system, and the authenticated requirement suggests that the attack can be carried out by users who already have legitimate access to the messaging system. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous in environments where access controls may be insufficient or where compromised legitimate credentials could be exploited. Organizations using WebSphere MQ in production environments face the risk of sustained service disruption, data integrity issues, and potential cascading failures throughout their distributed application architectures. The impact is further amplified when considering that WebSphere MQ is commonly used in financial services, telecommunications, and other sectors where continuous availability is paramount.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability primarily involve applying the official IBM security fix released as part of WebSphere MQ 7.0.1.2 update. Organizations should prioritize immediate deployment of this patch to address the underlying channel control data validation issue. Additionally, implementing network segmentation and access controls can help limit the potential attack surface by restricting access to the MQ management interfaces and reducing the number of authenticated users who can interact with channel processes. Monitoring and logging mechanisms should be enhanced to detect unusual channel control data patterns that might indicate attempted exploitation. From an operational security perspective, organizations should conduct regular security assessments of their messaging infrastructure and implement proper incident response procedures to quickly address any daemon crashes or service disruptions. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and following the principle of least privilege when configuring MQ channel access permissions. Organizations should consider implementing redundant messaging paths and failover mechanisms to minimize the business impact should such a vulnerability be exploited in their environment. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1499.004 - "Endpoint Denial of Service" and potentially T1566.001 - "Phishing" if the initial access is gained through social engineering to obtain legitimate credentials.