CVE-2017-1236 in WebSphere MQ
Summary
by MITRE
IBM WebSphere MQ 9.0.2 could allow an authenticated user to potentially cause a denial of service by saving an incorrect channel status inquiry. IBM X-Force ID: 124354
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/31/2020
IBM WebSphere MQ version 9.0.2 contains a vulnerability that allows authenticated users to potentially cause a denial of service condition through improper handling of channel status inquiries. This flaw specifically manifests when the system processes certain channel status commands, leading to an incorrect state being saved that can subsequently disrupt normal messaging operations. The vulnerability represents a critical weakness in the message queuing system's error handling mechanisms, where legitimate authenticated operations can be exploited to create system instability.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate validation and state management within the channel status inquiry processing logic. When an authenticated user submits specific channel status commands, the system fails to properly validate the input parameters or maintain consistent internal state representations. This mismanagement results in corrupted channel status information being persisted in the system's memory or storage structures. The flaw operates at the application level within the messaging infrastructure, affecting how the system maintains and reports channel connectivity states. According to CWE classification, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-20: Improper Input Validation, as the system does not adequately validate the channel status inquiry parameters before processing them.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially compromise the entire messaging infrastructure reliability. An attacker with valid credentials could repeatedly exploit this flaw to cause persistent channel failures, leading to message delivery delays, application timeouts, and complete service unavailability. The denial of service condition can affect critical business processes that depend on WebSphere MQ for inter-application communication, particularly in enterprise environments where message queuing systems handle mission-critical data flows. This vulnerability particularly impacts systems where channel monitoring and status reporting are essential for operational continuity and fault detection.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor-provided security patches and updates that address the channel status inquiry processing logic. Network segmentation and access controls should be strengthened to limit the number of authenticated users who can submit channel status commands. System monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual patterns in channel status changes that might indicate exploitation attempts. Regular security assessments of the messaging infrastructure should include testing for similar input validation vulnerabilities. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1499.004: Endpoint Denial of Service, as it targets specific application endpoints to cause service disruption. Additionally, this vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper state management in distributed systems and aligns with security best practices outlined in NIST SP 800-53 for system and communications protection controls. Organizations should also consider implementing intrusion detection systems that can identify abnormal channel status manipulation patterns and establish incident response procedures specifically tailored to messaging infrastructure disruptions.