CVE-2014-0921 in Messagesight Jms Client
Summary
by MITRE
The server in IBM MessageSight 1.x before 1.1.0.0-IBM-IMA-IT01015 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (daemon crash and message data loss) via malformed headers during a WebSockets connection upgrade.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/10/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-0921 affects IBM MessageSight version 1.x prior to 1.1.0.0, specifically targeting the server component that handles WebSocket connections. This issue represents a critical security flaw that enables remote attackers to execute denial of service attacks against the messaging infrastructure. The vulnerability manifests during the WebSocket connection upgrade process when malformed headers are presented to the server, causing the daemon to crash and resulting in complete message data loss. The impact extends beyond simple service interruption as it compromises the integrity and availability of message communications within the system.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in insufficient input validation mechanisms within the WebSocket upgrade handler. When the server receives WebSocket connection requests with malformed headers, it fails to properly sanitize or reject these invalid inputs before processing them. This weakness allows attackers to craft specially crafted header sequences that trigger buffer overflows or memory corruption conditions within the server daemon. The flaw operates at the protocol parsing layer where WebSocket handshake headers are processed, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited without requiring authentication or prior access to the system. This type of vulnerability is categorized under CWE-129 as improper validation of array indices, though the specific manifestation involves header parsing rather than direct array manipulation.
The operational impact of CVE-2014-0921 extends beyond immediate service disruption to encompass significant business continuity risks. When the daemon crashes, all active WebSocket connections are terminated abruptly, forcing clients to reconnect and potentially losing messages that were in transit or queued for delivery. This message data loss can result in critical communication failures within enterprise environments that rely on MessageSight for mission-critical messaging operations. The vulnerability can be exploited by any remote attacker with network access to the affected system, making it particularly concerning for publicly accessible messaging services. Organizations utilizing this messaging platform face potential data integrity issues and service unavailability that could affect downstream applications and user experience.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching of the affected IBM MessageSight installations to version 1.1.0.0 or later, which contains the necessary fixes for header validation. Network administrators should implement defensive measures such as rate limiting and connection monitoring to detect anomalous WebSocket traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing network segmentation to limit exposure of MessageSight servers to untrusted networks. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for network disruption and T1070.004 for indicator removal, as attackers could potentially use this flaw to create persistent disruption while avoiding detection through service interruption patterns. Security monitoring should focus on WebSocket connection attempts with malformed headers and abnormal daemon restart patterns to identify potential exploitation activities.