CVE-2026-19290: IBM Sterling File Gateway Info Disclosure

CVE-2026-19290 is an information disclosure vulnerability in IBM Sterling File Gateway caused by improper access control. Remote attackers can obtain sensitive information. This article covers technical details, affected versions from 6.2.0.0 to 6.2.2.1, impact assessment, and mitigation strategies.

CVE-2026-19290 Overview

CVE-2026-19290 is an improper access control vulnerability [CWE-284] in IBM Sterling File Gateway. The flaw allows a remote unauthenticated attacker to obtain sensitive information from the affected system over the network. IBM Sterling File Gateway is a managed file transfer platform used by enterprises to consolidate partner file exchange operations.

Affected versions include IBM Sterling File Gateway 6.2.0.0 through 6.2.0.6_1, 6.2.1.0 through 6.2.1.2, and 6.2.2.0 through 6.2.2.1.

Critical Impact
Remote attackers can retrieve sensitive information from vulnerable IBM Sterling File Gateway deployments without authentication or user interaction.

Affected Products

IBM Sterling File Gateway 6.2.0.0 through 6.2.0.6_1
IBM Sterling File Gateway 6.2.1.0 through 6.2.1.2
IBM Sterling File Gateway 6.2.2.0 through 6.2.2.1

Discovery Timeline

2026-09-14 - CVE-2026-19290 published to the National Vulnerability Database
2026-09-16 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-19290

Vulnerability Analysis

CVE-2026-19290 stems from improper access control within IBM Sterling File Gateway. The application fails to correctly enforce authorization boundaries on one or more network-reachable resources. As a result, requests that should be restricted return sensitive data to unauthenticated callers.

IBM Sterling File Gateway brokers file transfers between trading partners, so exposed data can include configuration details, partner identifiers, or transfer metadata. Confidentiality is impacted, while integrity and availability remain unaffected according to the published CVSS vector.

Root Cause

The underlying weakness maps to CWE-284: Improper Access Control. Access checks on a protected resource are either missing or incorrectly evaluated. This allows requests that bypass the intended authentication or authorization workflow to reach information that should require a valid session.

Attack Vector

Exploitation occurs over the network against the Sterling File Gateway service. The attacker requires no prior privileges and no user interaction. Any Sterling File Gateway instance exposed to untrusted networks, including partner-facing perimeters, is reachable by this attack pattern.

No public proof-of-concept, exploit code, or CISA KEV listing is associated with CVE-2026-19290 at this time. Refer to the IBM Support Page for vendor-provided technical details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-19290

Indicators of Compromise

Unauthenticated HTTP or HTTPS requests to Sterling File Gateway endpoints that return non-empty response bodies without a prior authenticated session.
Access log entries showing anonymous sessions retrieving administrative, partner, or transfer resources.
Unusual client IP ranges accessing management interfaces that should be limited to internal or trusted partner networks.

Detection Strategies

Review Sterling File Gateway access logs for successful GET responses on protected paths that lack a corresponding authentication event.
Correlate web server logs with authentication logs to surface requests that bypass the login flow.
Compare traffic against the vendor advisory to identify probe patterns targeting the vulnerable endpoints.

Monitoring Recommendations

Forward Sterling File Gateway application and web server logs into a centralized SIEM for correlation across authentication, access, and network telemetry.
Alert on spikes in anonymous request volume or repeated 200 OK responses from unauthenticated sources.
Monitor egress traffic from the Sterling File Gateway host for unexpected data volumes that could indicate bulk information retrieval.

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-19290

Immediate Actions Required

Inventory all IBM Sterling File Gateway instances and identify deployments running the affected 6.2.0.x, 6.2.1.x, and 6.2.2.x versions.
Apply the fixed release referenced in the IBM Support Page as soon as it can be scheduled.
Restrict network exposure of Sterling File Gateway management and partner interfaces to trusted source ranges until patching is complete.

Patch Information

IBM has published remediation guidance for CVE-2026-19290 on the IBM Support Page. Administrators should follow that advisory for the fixed version numbers and upgrade procedures corresponding to each affected release train.

Workarounds

Place the Sterling File Gateway service behind a reverse proxy or web application firewall that enforces authentication before requests reach the application.
Limit inbound network access to the Sterling File Gateway administrative interfaces using firewall rules or network access control lists.
Rotate any credentials, keys, or partner secrets that may have been readable through the exposed endpoints once patching is complete.

bash

# Example: restrict access to Sterling File Gateway ports to trusted CIDR ranges
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -s 10.0.0.0/8 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -j DROP