CVE-2026-16177 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, 11.0.0.0 through 11.0.0.2 could allow a remote authenticated attacker to obtain sensitive information due to an out-of-bounds read.
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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, as well as the 10.6.x and 11.0.0 series up to their respective patch levels, represents a critical security flaw classified under CWE-125, which denotes an out-of-bounds read operation. This specific type of memory safety error occurs when software attempts to access data at a memory location that is outside the boundaries of the intended buffer or array structure. In the context of IBM DataPower Gateway, a high-performance integration appliance used for API management and secure connectivity, such a flaw can have significant implications for system integrity and confidentiality. The vulnerability allows an attacker who has already established authenticated access to exploit this improper memory access mechanism, potentially leading to the disclosure of sensitive information stored within the application's memory space.
From a technical perspective, out-of-bounds read vulnerabilities typically arise due to insufficient validation of input parameters or index values before they are used to access memory locations. When an attacker provides crafted inputs that trigger these boundary violations, the system may return data from adjacent memory regions rather than throwing an error or handling the exception gracefully. This behavior can leak internal state information, cryptographic keys, session tokens, or other confidential data structures residing in memory near the target buffer. The requirement for authentication indicates that this is not a remote unauthenticated exploit but rather a threat posed by insider threats or compromised credentials within the network perimeter. Consequently, while it does not allow direct code execution like many out-of-bounds write vulnerabilities, it serves as an effective information disclosure vector that can facilitate further attacks such as session hijacking or privilege escalation if additional weaknesses are present in the environment.
The operational impact of this vulnerability centers on the compromise of confidentiality and potentially availability depending on how the leaked data is utilized. For organizations relying on IBM DataPower Gateway for secure API gateways, service mesh integration, or protocol translation between disparate systems, the exposure of sensitive internal information can undermine trust relationships with external partners and clients. Attackers leveraging ATT&CK technique T1005, which refers to Data from Local System Retrieval, could use this flaw to gather intelligence about the network architecture, authentication mechanisms, and protected resources behind the gateway. This reconnaissance phase is often a precursor to more destructive actions, making the remediation of this vulnerability essential for maintaining defense-in-depth strategies. The ability to read arbitrary memory locations also raises concerns about side-channel attacks where timing differences or error responses might be analyzed to infer sensitive data without directly extracting it in plaintext form.
Mitigation strategies must prioritize immediate patching and rigorous access control reviews. IBM has released updates that address the underlying code defects responsible for the out-of-bounds condition, ensuring proper bounds checking is implemented before memory accesses occur. Organizations running affected versions should apply the latest service packs or patches provided by IBM to eliminate this vulnerability at its source. In addition to software remediation, it is crucial to enforce strict least-privilege principles regarding who has authenticated access to the DataPower Gateway management interface and API endpoints. Multi-factor authentication should be enabled for all administrative accounts to reduce the risk of credential compromise leading to exploitation. Network segmentation plays a vital role as well; ensuring that only authorized subnets can reach the gateway's sensitive interfaces limits the attack surface available to potential adversaries. Regular vulnerability scanning and penetration testing focused on input validation flaws will help identify similar issues before they are exploited in production environments, thereby maintaining robust security posture across integrated systems.