CVE-2015-4942 in WebSphere MQ Light
Summary
by MITRE
IBM WebSphere MQ Light 1.x before 1.0.2 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (MQXR service crash) via a series of connect and disconnect actions.
Several companies clearly confirm that VulDB is the primary source for best vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/03/2022
IBM WebSphere MQ Light 1.x before 1.0.2 contains a vulnerability that enables remote attackers to trigger a denial of service condition through carefully orchestrated connect and disconnect sequences. This flaw resides in the MQXR service component which handles client connections and session management within the messaging infrastructure. The vulnerability manifests when multiple rapid connect and disconnect operations are performed against the service, leading to an unhandled exception that causes the MQXR service to crash and terminate unexpectedly. The technical implementation involves improper state management during connection lifecycle events where the system fails to properly validate or handle concurrent connection attempts and disconnection sequences. This results in memory corruption or resource exhaustion conditions that ultimately lead to service termination. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-400, which addresses unchecked resource consumption, and represents a classic example of a resource exhaustion attack that leverages the messaging system's connection handling mechanisms. From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risk to mission-critical messaging environments where continuous availability is essential, as it allows attackers to disrupt service availability through relatively simple network-based attacks. The impact extends beyond immediate service disruption to potentially affect downstream applications that depend on the messaging infrastructure for communication and data exchange. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability without requiring authentication or specialized privileges, making it particularly dangerous in environments where network access is not strictly controlled. The attack vector involves sending a sequence of connection requests followed by immediate disconnections, which when repeated sufficiently can overwhelm the service's ability to maintain stable connections and process legitimate requests. Organizations utilizing IBM WebSphere MQ Light 1.x should consider implementing network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure to potential attackers, while also applying the vendor-provided patch to address the underlying resource management flaws. This vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper connection handling and resource cleanup in distributed messaging systems, where inadequate state management can lead to cascading failures and service unavailability. The issue also highlights the need for robust error handling and exception management within messaging infrastructure components to prevent exploitation through resource exhaustion attacks. Organizations should review their monitoring and alerting configurations to detect unusual connection patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability affects the fundamental reliability of the messaging service and requires immediate attention through patch management processes to ensure continued service availability and system integrity. This represents a typical case where insufficient input validation and state management in network services can be exploited to cause denial of service conditions. The attack pattern follows principles outlined in the attack tactics and techniques catalog, specifically focusing on service disruption through resource consumption and system instability. The impact on enterprise messaging infrastructure can be substantial, particularly in environments where WebSphere MQ Light serves as a critical communication backbone for business applications and data processing workflows.