CVE-2020-4579 in DataPower Gateway
Summary
by MITRE
IBM DataPower Gateway 2018.4.1.0 through 2018.4.1.12 could allow a remote attacker to cause a denial of service by sending a specially crafted HTTP/2 request with invalid characters. IBM X-Force ID: 184438.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/22/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-4579 affects IBM DataPower Gateway versions 2018.4.1.0 through 2018.4.1.12, representing a critical denial of service weakness that can be exploited remotely. This issue specifically targets the HTTP/2 protocol implementation within the DataPower Gateway, which serves as a comprehensive API gateway and integration platform for enterprise environments. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation mechanisms that fail to properly handle malformed HTTP/2 requests containing invalid characters, creating a potential attack vector that could disrupt critical network services.
The technical flaw manifests when the DataPower Gateway processes specially crafted HTTP/2 requests that contain invalid characters within the protocol frames or headers. This weakness falls under the category of improper input validation as classified by CWE-20, where the system fails to adequately sanitize or validate incoming data before processing. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because HTTP/2 is increasingly adopted in enterprise environments for its performance benefits including multiplexing, header compression, and server push capabilities. When an attacker sends malformed requests with invalid characters, the gateway's processing logic becomes overwhelmed or enters an undefined state, leading to system instability and potential service disruption.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service interruption, as it can affect mission-critical enterprise applications that rely on DataPower Gateway for API management, security enforcement, and integration services. Organizations using affected versions may experience cascading failures where the denial of service affects multiple downstream applications and services that depend on the gateway's functionality. The vulnerability can be exploited remotely without requiring authentication, making it particularly dangerous in environments where the DataPower Gateway is exposed to untrusted networks or internet-facing services. According to ATT&CK framework, this represents a denial of service attack pattern under the T1499 category, specifically targeting network services and infrastructure components.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including applying the latest security patches provided by IBM, which address the input validation issues in the HTTP/2 processing module. Network segmentation strategies should be employed to limit exposure of the affected gateway to untrusted networks, while implementing rate limiting and request validation mechanisms at network boundaries. Additionally, monitoring solutions should be configured to detect anomalous HTTP/2 traffic patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper protocol implementation and input validation in enterprise security infrastructure, particularly for systems handling critical network traffic and API management functions. Organizations should also consider implementing intrusion detection systems that can identify and block malformed HTTP/2 requests before they reach the vulnerable gateway components.