Critical IBM DataPower Gateway Flaw Allows Remote Admin Access via Empty LDAP Passwords
IBM DataPower Gateway versions 10.5 through 11.0 contain a critical authentication bypass flaw that lets attackers gain administrative control by submitting empty passwords.
Key points
- CVE-2026-14502 is rated 9.8 Critical on the CVSS scale
- The vulnerability stems from a failure to reject empty passwords during LDAP authentication
- Affected versions include 10.5.0.0-10.5.0.22, 10.6.1-10.6.6, 10.6.0.0-10.6.0.10, and 11.0.0.0-11.0.0.2
IBM DataPower Gateway contains a critical authentication vulnerability that allows remote attackers to obtain administrative access to the system. The flaw, identified as CVE-2026-14502, enables unauthorized users to bypass security controls by submitting empty passwords during Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) authentication processes.
The National Vulnerability Database (NVD) has assigned the vulnerability a CVSS score of 9.8, classifying it as Critical. The underlying weakness is categorized under CWE-287, which denotes improper authentication. According to the NVD record, the issue arises because the software fails to reject empty password inputs when validating credentials against an LDAP directory. This lack of validation allows an attacker to authenticate as an administrator without possessing valid credentials, effectively granting full control over the gateway appliance.
Context and Background
LDAP is a widely used protocol for accessing and maintaining distributed directory information services over an Internet Protocol (IP) network. In enterprise environments, LDAP is frequently integrated with application gateways to centralize user identity management and authentication. When a system relies on LDAP for verifying user identities, it typically sends a bind request containing the username and password to the directory server.
In this specific instance, the IBM DataPower Gateway does not properly enforce password complexity or presence requirements during this bind operation. By sending a bind request with an empty password field, a remote attacker can exploit this logic gap. The system accepts the empty string as a valid credential, thereby granting the attacker administrative privileges. This type of authentication bypass is particularly dangerous because it does not require brute-forcing complex passwords or exploiting software execution flaws; it merely requires the ability to send a malformed authentication request to the service.
Who Is Affected
The vulnerability impacts a specific range of IBM DataPower Gateway versions. Organizations running the following versions are considered affected:
- IBM DataPower Gateway 10.5.0.0 through 10.5.0.22
- IBM DataPower Gateway 10.6.1 through 10.6.6
- IBM DataPower Gateway 10.6.0.0 through 10.6.0.10
- IBM DataPower Gateway 11.0.0.0 through 11.0.0.2
Administrators should immediately verify their current deployment versions against this list. If their environment falls within these ranges, the system is vulnerable to remote administrative takeover via the LDAP authentication bypass.
What should you do?
Organizations should audit their IBM DataPower Gateway installations to determine if they are running any of the affected versions listed above. Since no patch or fix has been confirmed yet in the available source material, administrators cannot rely on a software update to resolve the issue at this time.
As a temporary mitigation strategy, security teams should restrict network access to the DataPower Gateway’s management interfaces. Implementing strict firewall rules to limit LDAP authentication traffic to trusted internal networks can reduce the attack surface. Additionally, monitoring logs for authentication attempts with empty password fields may help detect exploitation attempts.
What to do and how to stay safe: IBM
- Patch scores alone ignore context like network exposure and asset criticality.
- You must map vulnerabilities to specific business risks to prioritize correctly.
- Continuous exposure data replaces static scanning for accurate prioritization.
Prioritize vulnerabilities by actual exploitability and business impact, not by theoretical severity scores. Update your asset context and exposure data continuously to maintain accurate risk rankings.
Step-by-step guide: Risk Based Vulnerability Management: Prioritize Fixes by Actual Threat
General security guidance from the Threat Times newsroom. It is not confirmed advice from the organisations named in this story.
Frequently asked questions
What is the CVSS score for CVE-2026-14502?
The vulnerability has a CVSS score of 9.8, which is rated as Critical.
How does an attacker exploit this vulnerability?
An attacker exploits the flaw by sending LDAP authentication requests with empty passwords, which the system fails to reject.
Which IBM DataPower Gateway versions are affected?
Versions 10.5.0.0-10.5.0.22, 10.6.1-10.6.6, 10.6.0.0-10.6.0.10, and 11.0.0.0-11.0.0.2 are affected.
