IBM DataPower Gateway: 25 Coordinated Vulnerabilities Disclosed, Posing Critical Risks
IBM DataPower Gateway faces a critical disclosure of 25 vulnerabilities, including remote code execution and authentication bypass flaws, impacting multiple versions.
Key findings
- 25 vulnerabilities disclosed for IBM DataPower Gateway on October 8, 2026.
- Critical vulnerabilities include remote code execution via buffer overflows (CVE-2026-14269, CVE-2026-14888).
- Multiple flaws allow authentication bypass and signature forgery (CVE-2026-14999, CVE-2026-14497).
- Numerous Denial of Service vulnerabilities affect various components and attack vectors.
- Affected versions span 10.5.0.x, 10.6.x, and 11.0.0.x, requiring urgent patching.
On October 8, 2026, a significant batch of 25 vulnerabilities was disclosed for IBM DataPower Gateway, spanning multiple versions including 10.5.0.x, 10.6.x, and 11.0.0.x. This coordinated disclosure event highlights critical security weaknesses, with several vulnerabilities rated as High or Critical, posing substantial risks to organizations relying on this API gateway for secure data exchange. The sheer volume and severity of these flaws underscore the importance of prompt patching and security review for DataPower Gateway deployments.
The disclosed vulnerabilities encompass a range of attack vectors and impacts. A critical buffer overflow vulnerability (CVE-2026-14992) and another heap-based buffer overflow leading to arbitrary code execution (CVE-2026-14269) represent some of the most severe threats, potentially allowing unauthenticated remote attackers to compromise the gateway. Additionally, several vulnerabilities related to improper handling of cryptographic signatures, such as CVE-2026-14999 and CVE-2026-14497, could enable attackers to bypass authentication or forge signature requests, undermining the integrity of secure communications.
Denial of Service (DoS) vulnerabilities are also prevalent within this batch. Multiple flaws, including CVE-2026-14509 (algorithmic complexity), CVE-2026-14508 (use-after-free), CVE-2026-14507 (improper memory allocation), CVE-2026-14496 (heap-based buffer overflow), CVE-2026-16167 (improper bounds checking), CVE-2026-16165 (null pointer dereference), CVE-2026-16164 (buffer overflow), CVE-2026-16161 (out-of-bounds read), CVE-2026-15824 (heap-based buffer overflow), and CVE-2026-15822 (improper memoization), could be exploited by remote attackers to disrupt services. CVE-2026-16159, an out-of-bounds write vulnerability, can lead to both sensitive information disclosure and denial of service.
Other notable vulnerabilities include an XML external entity injection (XXE) flaw (CVE-2026-14905) that could expose sensitive information or consume memory, a heap-based buffer overflow allowing arbitrary code execution (CVE-2026-14888), a critical vulnerability allowing administrative access due to failure to reject empty passwords during LDAP authentication (CVE-2026-14502), a cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability (CVE-2026-13258) that could alter web UI functionality, and a type confusion flaw leading to DoS (CVE-2026-16111). A local attacker could also obtain sensitive information due to improper authorization via CVE-2026-14273.
IBM has released patches and updated firmware to address these vulnerabilities. Affected versions include specific ranges within DataPower Gateway 10.5.0.x, 10.6.0.x, 10.6.1 through 10.6.6, and 11.0.0.x. Organizations using IBM DataPower Gateway are strongly advised to consult IBM's security advisories and apply the necessary updates as soon as possible to mitigate the risks associated with these numerous security flaws.
The coordinated disclosure of these 25 vulnerabilities on a single day highlights a significant security event for IBM DataPower Gateway users. The broad impact, ranging from remote code execution and authentication bypass to denial of service and information disclosure, necessitates immediate attention. Proactive patching and continuous security monitoring are crucial to protect against potential exploitation of these weaknesses.
Key findings include:
- A critical buffer overflow vulnerability (CVE-2026-14269) allows unauthenticated remote attackers to execute arbitrary code.
- Multiple vulnerabilities (CVE-2026-14999, CVE-2026-14497) enable bypassing authentication or forging signatures.
- A critical flaw (CVE-2026-14502) allows administrative access due to weak LDAP authentication handling.
- Numerous Denial of Service vulnerabilities exist, including those caused by buffer overflows, use-after-free, and null pointer dereferences.
- An XML external entity injection vulnerability (CVE-2026-14905) can lead to information disclosure or memory exhaustion.
- All disclosed vulnerabilities affect multiple versions of IBM DataPower Gateway, necessitating prompt updates.