CVE-2015-1985 in MQ M2000
Summary
by MITRE
The queue manager on IBM MQ M2000 appliances before 8.0.0.4 allows local users to bypass an intended password requirement and read private keys by leveraging the existence of a stash file.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/26/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-1985 affects IBM MQ M2000 appliances running versions prior to 8.0.0.4, presenting a significant security weakness in the queue manager implementation. This flaw resides in the appliance's handling of cryptographic materials and authentication mechanisms, specifically targeting the protection of private keys that are critical for secure communications within enterprise messaging systems. The vulnerability stems from improper access controls that fail to adequately enforce authentication requirements for sensitive cryptographic operations.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the existence of a stash file that contains sensitive cryptographic information. Local users can exploit this weakness by leveraging the presence of this stash file to bypass the intended password protection mechanisms that should normally be required to access private keys. This represents a direct violation of the principle of least privilege and demonstrates a failure in the appliance's security architecture to properly isolate sensitive cryptographic materials from unauthorized local access. The stash file essentially serves as an unintended backdoor that allows local privilege escalation and unauthorized access to cryptographic keys.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates severe implications for organizations relying on IBM MQ appliances for secure message queuing and enterprise communications. The ability to bypass password requirements and access private keys compromises the entire cryptographic security framework of the appliance, potentially enabling man-in-the-middle attacks, message interception, and unauthorized data manipulation. The impact extends beyond simple credential theft to encompass complete compromise of the appliance's security posture, as private keys are fundamental to establishing trust and secure communication channels within messaging systems. This vulnerability directly affects the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the messaging infrastructure.
The flaw aligns with CWE-284, which addresses improper access control, and represents a classic case of insufficient authorization checks in security-critical components. Organizations using affected IBM MQ appliances face potential exposure to attackers who can leverage this vulnerability to gain unauthorized access to sensitive cryptographic materials, potentially leading to broader system compromise. The vulnerability also maps to ATT&CK technique T1552.001, which covers credentials from password files, demonstrating how local access can be leveraged to extract sensitive information without proper authentication. The security implications extend to compliance requirements, as unauthorized access to cryptographic keys violates data protection regulations and security frameworks that mandate proper key management practices.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including upgrading to IBM MQ version 8.0.0.4 or later, which contains the necessary security fixes to address this vulnerability. Additionally, administrators should review and harden the appliance's local security configuration, ensuring that stash files and other sensitive data are properly protected through file system permissions and access controls. Regular security assessments should be conducted to identify similar weaknesses in other cryptographic components, and organizations should implement proper key management practices including regular key rotation and secure storage mechanisms. Network segmentation and monitoring should be enhanced to detect unauthorized local access attempts and potential exploitation of similar vulnerabilities.