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Datapower GatewayApplication · Ibm

CVE-2021-38910

MEDIUM · 5.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-03-10
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 2018.4.1.18 or later.
See remediation →
62/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
IBM DataPower Gateway V10CD, 10.0.1, and 2108.4.1 could allow a remote attacker to bypass security restrictions, caused by the improper validation of input. By sending a specially crafted JSON message, an attacker could exploit this vulnerability to modify structure and fields. IBM X-Force ID: 209824.

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 confidence

IBM DataPower Gateway versions V10CD, 10.0.1, and 2108.4.1 contain an input validation vulnerability that allows remote attackers to bypass security restrictions by sending specially crafted JSON messages. The improper validation of JSON input enables modification of message structure and fields, potentially allowing unauthorized data manipulation or access.

MitigationApply IBM's security patches for the affected DataPower Gateway versions. In the interim, implement additional input validation layers, restrict network access to management interfaces, and monitor for suspicious JSON message patterns.

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
Datapower GatewayApplication
Affected:>= 10.0.1.0, <= 10.0.1.5>= 2018.4.1.0, <= 2018.4.1.18= 10.0.2.0= 10.0.3.0

CVSS 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
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N

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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify DataPower Gateway version
    Access the CLI and run 'show version' or check the WebGUI under Status > System > Version Information. Note the full version string including build number.
    Affected if The installed version falls within 10.0.1.0-10.0.1.5, 2018.4.1.0-2018.4.1.18, 10.0.2.0, 10.0.3.0, or is the V10CD release train.
  2. Confirm JSON processing is active
    Review active Multi-Protocol Gateway or REST Proxy services in the WebGUI under Services > Multi-Protocol Gateway or Services > REST Proxy. Check if any are configured to handle JSON content types.
    Affected if JSON processing is enabled and the gateway accepts JSON input through any exposed service.
  3. Check for publicly accessible JSON endpoints
    Review listener configurations in the WebGUI under Network > Front Side Handlers. Identify which handlers expose services that accept JSON payloads, especially those accessible from untrusted networks.
    Affected if Any JSON-handling service is exposed to networks outside the trusted internal environment.
  4. Audit JSON transformation or validation policies
    Examine any DataPower policies that process JSON messages, looking at JSON parsing, JSON transformation, or input validation settings in the respective service configuration.
    Affected if JSON input passes through the gateway without additional validation beyond default parsing.

You are affected if your DataPower Gateway runs an affected version and processes JSON input through any accessible service endpoint.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 2018.4.1.18
Interim mitigation

Apply IBM's security patches for the affected DataPower Gateway versions. In the interim, implement additional input validation layers, restrict network access to management interfaces, and monitor for suspicious JSON message patterns.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Latest available fix pack for your respective release train (10.0.1.6+, 10.0.2.1+, 10.0.3.1+, or 2018.4.1.19+)

  1. 1. Identify the current IBM DataPower Gateway version in your environment
  2. 2. For version 10.0.1.x: upgrade to version 10.0.1.6 or later
  3. 3. For version 10.0.2.0: upgrade to version 10.0.2.1 or later
  4. 4. For version 10.0.3.0: upgrade to version 10.0.3.1 or later
  5. 5. For version 2018.4.1.x: upgrade to version 2018.4.1.19 or later
  6. 6. After upgrade, verify the JSON message handling works correctly with your applications
  7. 7. Test that security controls are functioning as expected
Caveat Review IBM release notes for your target version to check for any backward compatibility concerns with your specific configuration

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Datapower Gateway Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,800
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,880.

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-38910 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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