CVE-2004-1364 in E-Business Suite
Summary
by MITRE
Directory traversal vulnerability in extproc in Oracle 9i and 10g allows remote attackers to access arbitrary libraries outside of the $ORACLE_HOME\bin directory.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/19/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2004-1364 represents a critical directory traversal flaw within Oracle 9i and 10g database systems, specifically affecting the extproc component that handles external procedures. This weakness enables remote attackers to bypass normal access controls and retrieve arbitrary library files from locations outside the designated Oracle home directory, creating a significant security risk for database environments. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation within the external procedure processing mechanism, allowing malicious actors to manipulate file paths and access sensitive system resources.
The technical implementation of this directory traversal vulnerability occurs through the extproc utility which is designed to execute external programs and libraries. When Oracle processes external procedure calls, it fails to properly sanitize the library paths provided by external callers, enabling attackers to craft malicious input that traverses directory structures using techniques such as double dots or path manipulation. This flaw specifically affects the dynamic library loading mechanism where Oracle attempts to load shared libraries from locations specified in the external procedure calls. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-22 as a directory traversal attack, where attackers can access files and directories outside of the intended scope.
Operationally, this vulnerability presents a severe threat to database security as it allows attackers to access system libraries, configuration files, and potentially sensitive data stored outside the Oracle home directory. Remote exploitation of this flaw could enable attackers to retrieve critical system information, escalate privileges, or even execute arbitrary code on the database server. The impact extends beyond simple information disclosure as it can provide attackers with insights into the underlying operating system, database configuration, and potentially access to other system resources that should remain protected. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to bypass authentication mechanisms and gain unauthorized access to the database environment.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigations including restricting network access to the extproc service, disabling external procedures when not required, and implementing proper input validation controls. The recommended approach involves configuring the oracle home directory permissions to prevent unauthorized access to system libraries, utilizing network segmentation to limit exposure of the database server, and applying Oracle security patches as soon as they become available. Security practitioners should also consider implementing network monitoring to detect suspicious external procedure calls and establishing proper access controls for the extproc configuration files. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving privilege escalation and defense evasion, as attackers can use the access gained through directory traversal to bypass security controls and maintain persistent access to the compromised system. Organizations must also review their database configurations to ensure that external procedures are properly restricted and that the principle of least privilege is enforced across all database components.