CVE-2026-14991 in DataPower Gateway
Summary
by MITRE • 10/08/2026
IBM DataPower Gateway 10.5.0.0 through 10.5.0.22, 10.6.1 through 10.6.6, 10.6.0.0 through 10.6.0.10, and 11.0.0.0 through 11.0.0.2 is vulnerable to a buffer overflow, caused by improper bounds checking. A local user could overflow the buffer and execute arbitrary code on the system.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/08/2026
The vulnerability identified in IBM DataPower Gateway versions ranging from 10.5.0.0 through 10.5.0.22, 10.6.1 through 10.6.6, and specific builds of the 10.6.0.x and 11.0.0.x series stems from a critical failure in memory management logic within the application's core processing routines. This flaw is classified as an improper bounds checking error, which falls under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-120: Buffer Copy without Checking Size of Input. In these specific versions of the DataPower Gateway appliance, certain input handling mechanisms fail to adequately validate the length or structure of data provided by users before copying it into fixed-size memory buffers. When a user submits an input that exceeds the allocated buffer capacity, the excess data overwrites adjacent memory locations, leading to a classic stack-based or heap-based buffer overflow condition depending on the specific internal function involved.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe due to its potential for arbitrary code execution. Because the DataPower Gateway often serves as a critical entry point and protocol transformer in enterprise network architectures, compromising the underlying operating system can have cascading effects across the entire infrastructure. An attacker who successfully exploits this buffer overflow condition gains the ability to inject and execute malicious shellcode within the context of the vulnerable process. This typically results in full compromise of the gateway appliance, allowing the adversary to pivot into internal networks, intercept sensitive data passing through the gateway, or use the compromised node as a foothold for further lateral movement. The severity is amplified by the fact that DataPower appliances are frequently deployed at network perimeters where they handle high volumes of traffic and complex protocol conversions, making them attractive targets for automated exploitation tools designed to scan for known memory corruption flaws.
From an attacker perspective, this vulnerability aligns with MITRE ATT&CK technique T1203: Exploitation for Client Execution if the attack vector involves tricking a user into triggering the overflow through crafted requests or files processed by the gateway. If the exploit allows for remote code execution via network-facing services exposed on the appliance, it also relates to techniques involving exploitation of service vulnerabilities. The local nature mentioned in some descriptions may refer to specific administrative interfaces or internal processing threads that require authentication, but given the public-facing role of DataPower Gateways, many instances of this software are accessible over untrusted networks, effectively mitigating any theoretical restriction on attack vectors if proper network segmentation is not enforced.
Mitigation strategies must prioritize immediate patching as the primary defense vector. IBM has released updated versions that address these bounds checking deficiencies by implementing rigorous input validation and size verification before memory allocation or copy operations occur. Organizations running affected versions should upgrade to a non-vulnerable release immediately, ensuring compatibility with their existing integration policies. In scenarios where upgrading is not immediately feasible due to operational constraints, network-level mitigations such as Web Application Firewalls can be configured to detect and block anomalous request sizes or malformed payloads that trigger the overflow condition. Additionally, enforcing strict access controls on administrative interfaces and limiting exposure of management ports to trusted IP ranges reduces the attack surface available to potential adversaries seeking to exploit this memory corruption flaw. Regular vulnerability scanning and penetration testing should also be conducted to verify the effectiveness of these compensating controls and ensure no residual risk remains in the production environment.