CVE-2018-1551
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedIBM WebSphere MQ 8.0.0.2 through 8.0.0.8 and 9.0.0.0 through 9.0.0.3 could allow users to have more authority than they should have if an MQ administrator creates an invalid user group name. IBM X-Force ID: 142888.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · moderate confidenceIBM WebSphere MQ versions 8.0.0.2-8.0.0.8 and 9.0.0.0-9.0.0.3 contain an authorization flaw where invalid user group names created by MQ administrators result in users receiving elevated privileges beyond their intended authorization level.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data>= 8.0.0.2, <= 8.0.0.8>= 9.0.0.0, <= 9.0.0.3CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- High
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Identify installed WebSphere MQ versionRun 'dspmqver' or check the MQ installation directory for version information. On Windows, this may also be viewable in Add/Remove Programs.Affected if The installed version is 8.0.0.2 through 8.0.0.8, or 9.0.0.0 through 9.0.0.3
-
Review MQ channel and queue authorization recordsUse runmqsc to display authority records: 'DISPLAY AUTHREC' for queues, channels, or topics. Look for any AUTHREC entries referencing group names.Affected if Any AUTHREC entries exist that reference group names, especially those that may be invalid or non-existent in the operating system
-
Check for missing or non-existent OS group mappingsExamine the MQ queue manager's user and group configuration. Use 'DISPLAY QMGR' in runmqsc to view queue manager attributes, and cross-reference with operating system user/group databases.Affected if MQ is configured to use group names that do not exist in the operating system's user directory (e.g., Active Directory or local system)
-
Inspect OAM (Object Authority Manager) group definitionsIn runmqsc, use 'DISPLAY AUTHREC' commands to list all authorization records. Look for groups with elevated authorities (such as 'setall' or 'admin' rights).Affected if Any group in the AUTHREC has elevated permissions (setall, passall, or admin) and the group name may be invalid or orphaned
The environment is affected if WebSphere MQ version is 8.0.0.2-8.0.0.8 or 9.0.0.0-9.0.0.3 AND the queue manager has authorization records referencing group names that are invalid or do not exist in the OS user directory.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataApply IBM WebSphere MQ patches 8.0.0.9+ or 9.0.0.4+ per IBM security bulletin, and audit existing MQ group configurations to ensure valid user group names are in use.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,408.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-1551 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2018-1551 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data