CVE-2017-1786 in WebSphere MQ
Summary
by MITRE
IBM WebSphere MQ 8.0 through 8.0.0.8 and 9.0 through 9.0.4 under special circumstances could allow an authenticated user to consume all resources due to a memory leak resulting in service loss. IBM X-Force ID: 136975.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/03/2023
IBM WebSphere MQ version 8.0 through 8.0.0.8 and 9.0 through 9.0.4 contains a memory leak vulnerability that can be exploited by authenticated users under specific conditions. This vulnerability falls under the category of resource exhaustion attacks and represents a significant concern for system availability and stability. The flaw manifests when the messaging queue manager fails to properly release memory resources during certain operational scenarios, leading to progressive memory consumption that can eventually cause system instability or complete service disruption.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in improper memory management within the queue manager's processing logic. When authenticated users perform specific operations within the messaging environment, the system fails to adequately clean up allocated memory structures, resulting in gradual memory accumulation over time. This memory leak behavior is particularly concerning because it occurs during normal operational activities rather than in response to malicious input or attack conditions. The vulnerability is classified as a memory leak under CWE-401 and represents a form of resource exhaustion that can lead to denial of service conditions.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses substantial risks to enterprise messaging infrastructure that relies on IBM WebSphere MQ for critical business processes. The memory leak can accumulate to the point where system performance degrades significantly, leading to application timeouts, service interruptions, and potentially complete system crashes. The impact is particularly severe in high-throughput environments where the messaging system handles thousands of messages per second, as the memory consumption can accelerate rapidly under load. Organizations using these affected versions may experience unexpected service disruptions that can affect business continuity and data flow between applications.
The vulnerability is exploitable by authenticated users who have legitimate access to the messaging system, which means that internal threats or compromised accounts could potentially trigger the memory leak. This characteristic makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous as it can be leveraged by insiders or attackers who have already gained access to the system. The attack vector requires authentication but does not require elevated privileges, making it accessible to users with standard messaging permissions. Security practitioners should consider this vulnerability in their risk assessments and incident response planning, as it can be difficult to detect and may manifest as intermittent performance issues rather than clear failure symptoms.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the relevant IBM security patches and updates that address this memory leak issue. System monitoring should be enhanced to track memory consumption patterns and identify unusual growth that might indicate the presence of this vulnerability. Additionally, implementing proper resource limits and memory management policies can help contain the impact if the vulnerability is exploited. The remediation process should include thorough testing of patched systems to ensure that the memory leak has been resolved without introducing new operational issues. Regular vulnerability assessments and security audits should be conducted to identify similar memory management issues in other enterprise messaging systems and applications.