CVE-2020-4310
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 MQ and MQ Appliance 7.1, 7.5, 8.0, 9.0 LTS, 9.1 LTS, and 9.1 C are vulnerable to a denial of service attack due to an error within the Data Conversion logic. IBM X-Force ID: 177081.
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 MQ and MQ Appliance contain a vulnerability in the Data Conversion logic that allows an unauthenticated attacker to cause a denial of service condition. The error in data conversion processing can crash or make the MQ services unavailable.
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>= 8.0.0.0, < 8.0.0.15>= 9.0.0.0, < 9.0.0.10>= 9.1.0, < 9.1.5>= 9.1.0.0, < 9.1.0.5= 7.1= 7.5CVSS 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
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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.
-
Determine IBM MQ version installedRun 'dspmqver' on Linux/Unix, check Windows Services properties, or use 'DSPSFWRSC' on IBM i. Alternatively, check the queue manager attributes using 'DISPLAY QMGR' command with 'VERSION' keyword.Affected if The installed version falls within 8.0.0.0-8.0.0.14, 9.0.0.0-9.0.0.9, 9.1.0-9.1.4, 9.1.0.0-9.1.0.4, or is exactly 7.1 or 7.5
-
Confirm product name is vulnerableVerify the product is IBM MQ or IBM WebSphere MQ. Run 'dspmqver -a' to see full product details including the name and version.Affected if Product is IBM MQ (any version listed above) or IBM WebSphere MQ versions 7.1 or 7.5
-
Check if Data Conversion is in useReview MQ channel definitions using 'DISPLAY CHANNEL(channel-name) CHLTYPE(SDR)' to see if CONVERT attribute is set. Also check queue definitions with 'DISPLAY QUEUE(queue-name) GET' or PUT attributes related to encoding. Data conversion typically occurs when messages cross code page boundaries or when message descriptors specify conversion requirements.Affected if Any channel or queue is configured to perform data conversion, or if your environment processes messages with varying CCSID/encoding between sender and receiver systems
-
Verify exposed network listenersRun 'DISPLAY LISTENER(*) STATUS' to list all listeners. Check which listeners are bound to external network interfaces (0.0.0.0 or specific IP). Review channel definitions using 'DISPLAY CHANNEL(*) CHLTYPE(SVRCONN)' to identify externally accessible channels.Affected if MQ listeners are exposed to untrusted networks, especially on SVRCONN channels that accept external connections
You are affected if you run a vulnerable IBM MQ or WebSphere MQ version AND have Data Conversion enabled on channels or queues accessible to unauthenticated network attackers.
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 data8.0.0.159.0.0.109.1.0.5
Apply the IBM security patch for CVE-2020-4310 or upgrade to a fixed version of IBM MQ (9.1 CD or later). In the meantime, restrict network access to MQ listeners and monitor for unusual data conversion activity.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,656.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-4310 — 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-2020-4310 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