CVE-2018-1652 in DataPower Gateway
Summary
by MITRE
IBM DataPower Gateway 7.1.0.0 through 7.1.0.19, 7.2.0.0 through 7.2.0.16, 7.5.0.0 through 7.5.0.10, 7.5.1.0 through 7.5.1.9, 7.5.2.0 through 7.5.2.9, and 7.6.0.0 through 7.6.0.2 and IBM MQ Appliance 8.0.0.0 through 8.0.0.8 and 9.0.1 through 9.0.5 could allow a local user to cause a denial of service through unknown vectors. IBM X-Force ID: 144724.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/18/2023
The vulnerability described in CVE-2018-1652 affects IBM DataPower Gateway and IBM MQ Appliance products across multiple version ranges, representing a significant security concern for enterprise environments that rely on these middleware solutions for message routing and data processing. This vulnerability specifically targets local users who can exploit it to cause denial of service conditions, potentially disrupting critical business operations and compromising system availability. The affected versions span across DataPower Gateway 7.1.0.0 through 7.1.0.19, 7.2.0.0 through 7.2.0.16, 7.5.0.0 through 7.5.0.10, 7.5.1.0 through 7.5.1.9, 7.5.2.0 through 7.5.2.9, and 7.6.0.0 through 7.6.0.2, along with IBM MQ Appliance versions 8.0.0.0 through 8.0.0.8 and 9.0.1 through 9.0.5, indicating a broad impact across multiple product lines and release cycles.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from unspecified vectors that allow local users to trigger denial of service conditions within these IBM appliances. As a local privilege escalation or exploitation vector, this vulnerability represents a critical weakness in the system's access control mechanisms and input validation processes. The lack of specific details about the exact exploitation method in the initial CVE description suggests either a complex or poorly documented flaw that could involve memory corruption, resource exhaustion, or process termination issues. From a cybersecurity perspective, local denial of service vulnerabilities are particularly concerning because they can be exploited by users who already have access to the system, potentially leading to unauthorized disruption of services that may be critical to business operations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service interruption, as it can affect the reliability and availability of enterprise messaging and data processing systems. When local users can cause denial of service conditions on IBM DataPower Gateway appliances, it can result in message routing failures, application downtime, and potential data loss or corruption in transit. The vulnerability affects systems that typically serve as critical infrastructure components in enterprise environments, where availability is paramount for business continuity. Organizations using these appliances may experience cascading failures if the denial of service affects dependent systems, particularly in scenarios where DataPower appliances are used for API management, message queuing, or security gateway functions. The impact is further compounded by the fact that these are enterprise-grade appliances that often serve as central points of communication and processing within complex IT infrastructures.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate patch management and system hardening approaches to prevent exploitation. Organizations should prioritize applying the relevant IBM security patches and updates as soon as they become available, as these patches typically address the underlying code vulnerabilities that enable local denial of service conditions. System administrators should also implement monitoring and logging procedures to detect potential exploitation attempts, particularly focusing on unusual process activity or resource consumption patterns that might indicate denial of service attacks. Network segmentation and access control measures should be enhanced to limit local user privileges and reduce the attack surface, aligning with defense-in-depth principles and industry best practices. The vulnerability's classification under local user exploitation patterns aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for network denial of service, though the specific implementation details require careful analysis of the patched code to fully understand the attack vectors and prevent future incidents. Organizations should also conduct thorough vulnerability assessments to identify systems running affected versions and implement additional controls such as intrusion detection systems and behavioral monitoring to detect anomalous activities that could indicate exploitation attempts.