CVE-2024-35116 Overview
CVE-2024-35116 is a denial of service vulnerability affecting IBM MQ messaging middleware. The vulnerability is caused by an error that occurs when applying configuration changes to the message queue system. An attacker can exploit this flaw remotely without authentication to disrupt message queue operations, potentially causing significant impact to enterprise applications that depend on IBM MQ for reliable message delivery.
Critical Impact
This vulnerability enables remote attackers to cause denial of service conditions in IBM MQ deployments, disrupting critical enterprise messaging infrastructure without requiring authentication or user interaction.
Affected Products
- IBM MQ 9.0 LTS
- IBM MQ 9.1 LTS
- IBM MQ 9.2 LTS
- IBM MQ 9.3 LTS
- IBM MQ 9.3 CD (Continuous Delivery)
Discovery Timeline
- 2024-06-28 - CVE-2024-35116 published to NVD
- 2024-11-21 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2024-35116
Vulnerability Analysis
This vulnerability falls under the category of Denial of Service through resource exhaustion. The flaw is associated with CWE-789 (Memory Allocation with Excessive Size Value) and CWE-770 (Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling), indicating that the vulnerability involves improper handling of resource allocation during configuration change operations.
The attack vector is network-based, meaning remote attackers can exploit this vulnerability without requiring any special privileges or user interaction. When triggered, the vulnerability causes the IBM MQ service to become unresponsive, impacting the availability of message queue operations but not affecting data confidentiality or integrity.
Enterprise environments running IBM MQ for inter-application communication, transaction processing, or event-driven architectures are particularly at risk, as a successful denial of service attack could disrupt business-critical workflows.
Root Cause
The vulnerability stems from improper error handling during the configuration change process in IBM MQ. When certain configuration changes are applied, the system fails to properly manage resource allocation, leading to conditions where the service can become unavailable. The associated CWE classifications (CWE-789 and CWE-770) suggest that the system does not adequately limit or control memory allocation during these operations.
Attack Vector
The attack can be executed remotely over the network against exposed IBM MQ instances. An attacker does not need authentication or any privileges to exploit this vulnerability. The attack complexity is low, and no user interaction is required, making this a straightforward vulnerability to exploit once a target is identified.
The vulnerability is triggered by sending specially crafted requests that cause errors during configuration change processing. The resulting denial of service affects the availability of the IBM MQ service, potentially disrupting all applications dependent on the message queue infrastructure.
Detection Methods for CVE-2024-35116
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected IBM MQ service restarts or unresponsiveness during normal operations
- Abnormal memory consumption patterns in IBM MQ processes
- Configuration change errors appearing in IBM MQ error logs
- Unusual network traffic patterns targeting IBM MQ ports (default: 1414)
Detection Strategies
- Monitor IBM MQ error logs for configuration change failures and unexpected service disruptions
- Implement network monitoring to detect unusual connection patterns to MQ listener ports
- Configure alerts for IBM MQ service availability and response time degradation
- Deploy intrusion detection rules to identify potential denial of service attack patterns
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable detailed logging for IBM MQ configuration change operations
- Set up service health monitoring with automated alerts for availability issues
- Monitor system resource utilization (CPU, memory) on IBM MQ hosts for abnormal spikes
- Implement baseline alerting for normal MQ message throughput to detect service degradation
How to Mitigate CVE-2024-35116
Immediate Actions Required
- Review IBM security bulletins and apply available patches immediately
- Restrict network access to IBM MQ listeners to authorized clients only
- Implement network segmentation to limit exposure of MQ infrastructure
- Enable enhanced monitoring and logging during the remediation period
Patch Information
IBM has released security updates to address this vulnerability. Administrators should review the official IBM security advisories for detailed patching instructions:
Apply the appropriate fix pack or interim fix for your IBM MQ version (9.0 LTS, 9.1 LTS, 9.2 LTS, 9.3 LTS, or 9.3 CD) as documented in the IBM support pages.
Workarounds
- Implement firewall rules to restrict access to IBM MQ ports from untrusted networks
- Use network segmentation to isolate IBM MQ infrastructure from internet-facing systems
- Configure IBM MQ channel authentication records (CHLAUTH) to limit connections to known clients
- Consider placing IBM MQ behind a reverse proxy or load balancer with rate limiting capabilities
- Enable IP filtering on the MQ listener to accept connections only from authorized source addresses
# Example: Configure firewall rules to restrict IBM MQ access (Linux iptables)
# Allow MQ traffic only from trusted application servers
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 1414 -s 10.0.1.0/24 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 1414 -j DROP
# Verify IBM MQ version to determine patch requirements
dspmqver
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
