IBM DataPower Gateway: Out-of-bounds read leading to buffer overflow
Summary
IBM DataPower Gateway versions 10.5.0.0 to 10.5.0.22, 10.6.0.0 to 10.6.0.10, 10.6.1 to 10.6.6 and 11.0.0.0 to 11.0.0.2 contain a buffer overflow caused by an out-of-bounds read (CWE-125). The CVE record rates the flaw 9.8 (critical) with network access, no privileges and no user interaction required, and high impact on confidentiality, integrity and availability. Research notes report that IBM's bulletin may list a lower score (6.5) with a different attack complexity; this conflict is not resolved yet. No evidence of exploitation in the wild was found.
Affected
- IBM DataPower Gateway 10.5.0.0 through 10.5.0.22
- IBM DataPower Gateway 10.6.0.0 through 10.6.0.10
- IBM DataPower Gateway 10.6.1 through 10.6.6
- IBM DataPower Gateway 11.0.0.0 through 11.0.0.2
Fixed in
- 10.5.0.x: 10.5.0.23
- 10.6.0.x: 10.6.0.11
- 10.6.1 to 10.6.6 (10.6CD): 11.0.0.3
- 11.0.0.0 to 11.0.0.2: 11.0.0.3
Workaround
Unknown.
Exploitation
- No evidence of active exploitation found.
- CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation none, not automatable, technical impact partial.
- No public proof of concept found in our searches; this does not prove that none exists.
Our recommendation
- Inventory all DataPower Gateway instances and check their versions against the affected list.
- Upgrade to the fixed version for your branch as soon as possible, as recommended by IBM.
- Until patched, restrict access to the management and service interfaces to trusted networks.
- Verify the CVSS score and vector in the IBM bulletin and NVD, and treat the CVE as high priority until clarified.
- Monitor for unusual crashes or traffic on the gateway.
Public exploits
PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit and Exploit-DB list nothing for this CVE.
Research sources
- IBM Security Bulletin: DataPower Gateway affected by multiple CVEs www.ibm.com
- IBM Support page referenced by the CVE record www.ibm.com
- VulDB entry CVE-2026-14988 vuldb.com
- Vulners / Rapid7 record CVE-2026-14988 vulners.com
Researched and written up in English and German by an AI (Claude by Anthropic) based on NVD, CISA, EPSS and the sources listed. The vendor information is authoritative. Researched on 30 Oct 2026, 20:28.
Original description (NVD)
IBM DataPower Gateway 10.5.0.0 through 10.5.0.22, 10.6.1 through 10.6.6, 10.6.0.0 through 10.6.0.10, and 11.0.0.0 through 11.0.0.2 is vulnerable to buffer overflow.
NVD references (1)
Sources
The tracker combines official, freely usable data sources – updated continuously:
- NVD (NIST) – CVEs, rating (CVSS), affected products
- CISA KEV – vulnerabilities confirmed by CISA as actively exploited
- CISA Vulnrichment – CISA assessment (SSVC) in the official CVE record
- FIRST EPSS – probability of exploitation
- Microsoft MSRC – Patch Tuesday: vulnerabilities, severity, updates
- PoC-in-GitHub – public proof-of-concept repositories
- Metasploit (Rapid7) – modules of the Metasploit Framework
- Exploit-DB (OffSec) – archive of public exploits (links only)
- Patch days: official vendor pages (linked per vendor) (Vendor patch days)
This product uses data from the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS data © FIRST.org.
Affected? We can help.
We check whether your systems are affected, install updates and close the gap – continuously with the System Health Checker if you wish.