CVE-2015-1955 in MQ Light
Summary
by MITRE
IBM MQ Light before 1.0.0.2 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (CPU consumption) via a crafted byte sequence in authentication data.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/04/2017
IBM MQ Light represents a messaging system designed to facilitate communication between applications in distributed environments, serving as a lightweight alternative to traditional messaging middleware solutions. The vulnerability identified in CVE-2015-1955 specifically targets the authentication processing mechanism within this messaging framework. This flaw manifests when the system receives malformed authentication data containing crafted byte sequences that trigger excessive CPU processing during validation. The vulnerability operates at the application layer of the OSI model, specifically affecting the authentication and authorization components of the messaging infrastructure.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation within the authentication subsystem of IBM MQ Light. When the system processes authentication requests containing malicious byte sequences, the parsing logic fails to properly handle malformed data, causing the processor to enter inefficient loops or perform excessive computations. This behavior aligns with CWE-129, which addresses improper validation of array indices, and CWE-770, concerning allocation of resources without limits or throttling. The vulnerability essentially creates a resource exhaustion condition where the CPU utilization spikes uncontrollably, leading to system performance degradation and eventual service unavailability.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service, as it can be exploited to create sustained performance degradation that affects the entire messaging infrastructure. Attackers can maintain prolonged CPU consumption by repeatedly sending crafted authentication requests, effectively creating a persistent DoS condition that impacts legitimate users and applications relying on the messaging system. This vulnerability directly maps to ATT&CK technique T1499.004, which covers resource exhaustion via high CPU usage, and T1566.002, involving spearphishing with social engineering techniques to deliver malicious authentication payloads. The attack vector requires network access to the IBM MQ Light service, making it particularly dangerous in environments where the messaging system is exposed to untrusted networks or external clients.
Organizations utilizing IBM MQ Light should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor-provided security patches that address the authentication validation logic. Network segmentation and access controls should be strengthened to limit exposure of the messaging service to only trusted clients. Implementing rate limiting and connection throttling mechanisms can help reduce the impact of potential exploitation attempts. Monitoring systems should be configured to detect unusual CPU consumption patterns and authentication request anomalies that may indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify similar weaknesses in the messaging infrastructure. The remediation approach should follow security best practices outlined in NIST SP 800-34 and ISO/IEC 27001 standards for vulnerability management and incident response.