CVE-2002-1666 in E-Business Suite
Summary
by MITRE
Unknown vulnerability in Oracle E-Business Suite 11i.1 through 11i.6 allows remote attackers to execute unauthorized PL/SQL procedures by modifying the Oracle Applications URL.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/19/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2002-1666 represents a critical security flaw within Oracle E-Business Suite versions 11i.1 through 11i.6 that enables remote attackers to execute unauthorized PL/SQL procedures through manipulation of Oracle Applications URLs. This weakness fundamentally undermines the application's access control mechanisms and represents a significant bypass of the security model designed to protect enterprise business applications. The vulnerability exists in the URL parsing and validation logic within the Oracle E-Business Suite framework, specifically affecting how the system processes and interprets web requests containing PL/SQL execution directives.
This security flaw operates at the application layer and demonstrates a classic path traversal or command injection vulnerability pattern that allows attackers to manipulate URL parameters to gain elevated privileges within the database environment. The vulnerability's impact is amplified by the fact that it enables remote code execution without requiring authentication, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where Oracle E-Business Suite typically handles sensitive financial and operational data. The attack vector exploits the trust relationship between the web interface and the underlying database, allowing malicious actors to directly invoke PL/SQL procedures that should only be accessible through proper application interfaces.
The operational implications of CVE-2002-1666 extend far beyond simple unauthorized access, as successful exploitation can lead to complete database compromise, data exfiltration, and potential lateral movement within the enterprise network. This vulnerability directly violates the principle of least privilege and can result in unauthorized modification of critical business data, financial records, and operational processes that the E-Business Suite manages. The remote nature of the attack means that threat actors can exploit this weakness from anywhere on the internet, without requiring physical access or prior credentials, making it particularly attractive to cybercriminals and nation-state actors targeting enterprise infrastructure.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigations including network segmentation to restrict access to Oracle E-Business Suite components, implementing web application firewalls to filter malicious URL requests, and applying Oracle's official security patches as soon as they become available. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation) and CWE-77 (Command Injection) categories, demonstrating how inadequate validation of user-supplied input can lead to arbitrary code execution. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving command and scripting interpreter execution, privilege escalation, and defense evasion, as attackers can manipulate the application to perform unauthorized database operations while potentially avoiding detection through normal monitoring systems. The remediation process should include comprehensive security assessments of all Oracle E-Business Suite installations and implementation of proper access controls to prevent unauthorized PL/SQL execution through web interfaces.