CVE-2006-0275 in Application Server
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the Oracle Reports Developer component of Oracle Application Server 9.0.4.2 has unspecified impact and attack vectors, as identified by Oracle Vuln# REP04. NOTE: Oracle has not disputed reliable researcher claims that this issue is related to directory traversal that allows reading of portions of arbitrary XML files via the customize parameter.
Be aware that VulDB is the high quality source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/19/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2006-0275 affects the Oracle Reports Developer component within Oracle Application Server version 9.0.4.2, representing a critical security flaw that has been catalogued under Oracle Vulnerability Number REP04. This issue falls under the broader category of directory traversal vulnerabilities, which have been consistently classified under CWE-22 in the Common Weakness Enumeration framework. The vulnerability's classification as unspecified in terms of impact and attack vectors suggests that the specific details of how malicious actors could exploit this weakness were not fully disclosed in the initial reporting, though subsequent research has confirmed its relationship to directory traversal mechanisms.
The technical flaw manifests through the improper handling of the customize parameter within the Oracle Reports Developer component, which allows attackers to manipulate file access patterns and potentially read arbitrary XML files from the system. This directory traversal vulnerability specifically enables unauthorized access to sensitive data that should normally be restricted to authorized users only. The weakness exists in the component's input validation mechanisms where user-supplied parameters are not adequately sanitized before being processed, creating an opportunity for attackers to navigate beyond the intended file system boundaries. According to ATT&CK framework categorization, this vulnerability maps to T1083 (File and Directory Discovery) and T1566 (Phishing) as attackers could leverage this weakness to gain access to sensitive configuration files and potentially extract valuable information from XML data structures.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant, as it could allow attackers to access confidential business data, system configurations, and potentially sensitive user information stored in XML format within the Oracle Application Server environment. The ability to read arbitrary XML files could expose not only application-specific data but also underlying system configurations, database connection details, and other sensitive metadata that could be leveraged for further attacks. Organizations using Oracle Application Server 9.0.4.2 are particularly at risk since this vulnerability could enable attackers to escalate their privileges and gain deeper access to the application server infrastructure. The unspecified nature of the initial impact assessment suggests that the full scope of potential damage could include data exfiltration, system compromise, and disruption of business operations.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate patching of the Oracle Application Server to the latest available security updates from Oracle, which would address the directory traversal flaw in the Reports Developer component. Organizations should also implement network segmentation to limit access to the Oracle Application Server to only authorized personnel and systems. Input validation controls should be strengthened to ensure that all user-supplied parameters including the customize parameter are properly sanitized and validated before processing. Additionally, regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other components of the Oracle Application Server environment. The implementation of web application firewalls and security monitoring solutions can help detect and prevent exploitation attempts targeting this specific vulnerability. Organizations should also consider implementing principle of least privilege access controls and regular security audits to minimize the potential impact of such directory traversal vulnerabilities.