CVE-2007-0423 in WebLogic Portal
Summary
by MITRE
BEA WebLogic Portal 9.2 does not properly handle when an administrator deletes entitlements for a role, which causes other role entitlements to be "inadvertently affected," which has an unknown impact.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/22/2019
BEA WebLogic Portal 9.2 contains a critical vulnerability in its entitlement management system that stems from improper handling of role-based access control operations. This vulnerability specifically manifests when administrators attempt to delete entitlements associated with a particular role within the portal environment. The flaw represents a significant weakness in the portal's privilege management architecture, where the system fails to properly isolate the deletion operation from other role entitlements that may be associated with the same or related access controls. This improper handling creates a cascading effect that can inadvertently modify or corrupt entitlement configurations for other roles within the system. The vulnerability falls under the category of access control bypass and privilege escalation risks, as described by CWE-284, where insufficient access control mechanisms allow unauthorized modification of security attributes. The impact of this vulnerability is particularly concerning because it operates at the administrative level, potentially allowing malicious actors or compromised administrators to manipulate access rights in ways that could compromise the entire portal security framework.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability lies in the portal's entitlement processing logic, which lacks proper transactional boundaries and validation mechanisms when handling role deletion operations. When an administrator attempts to remove specific entitlements from a role, the system does not properly validate or isolate the scope of the deletion operation, leading to unintended side effects on related entitlement configurations. This behavior creates an attack surface where unauthorized modifications can occur through legitimate administrative functions, as noted in the ATT&CK framework under privilege escalation techniques. The vulnerability essentially allows for a form of configuration drift where the deletion of one entitlement can cause collateral damage to other entitlements within the same or adjacent role hierarchies, resulting in unpredictable access control states that could be exploited by attackers. The lack of proper input validation and scope limitation in the entitlement management module creates a condition where the system's state becomes inconsistent and potentially compromised.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple access control issues, as it can lead to significant security breaches within enterprise environments that rely on BEA WebLogic Portal 9.2 for their portal infrastructure. Organizations using this version of the portal face potential exposure where legitimate users could lose access to critical applications or services, while unauthorized users might gain access to resources they should not be permitted to access. The indirect nature of the vulnerability means that administrators might not immediately recognize when their entitlement configurations have been inadvertently modified, creating a stealthy security risk that could persist undetected for extended periods. This type of vulnerability particularly affects organizations with complex role-based access control requirements, where the interdependencies between different entitlements make the impact of the flaw more severe and harder to predict. The vulnerability's potential for causing "inadvertently affected" entitlements aligns with the broader category of configuration management failures that can lead to privilege creep or unauthorized access patterns.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate attention from system administrators and security teams responsible for maintaining BEA WebLogic Portal 9.2 environments. The most effective immediate action involves applying the vendor-provided security patches or updates that address the entitlement handling logic and proper isolation of deletion operations. Organizations should implement comprehensive monitoring of administrative activities related to role and entitlement management to detect any unauthorized or unintended modifications to access control configurations. Additionally, security teams should conduct thorough audits of existing entitlement configurations to identify any potential corruption that may have occurred due to this vulnerability. Implementing proper change management procedures and access control reviews can help prevent exploitation of this flaw, while maintaining detailed logging of all administrative activities related to role entitlements provides necessary forensic capabilities. The remediation process should also include validating that all role entitlement configurations are properly synchronized and that no unintended side effects from the vulnerability have affected the overall security posture of the portal environment. Organizations should consider implementing network segmentation and additional access controls to limit the potential impact if the vulnerability is exploited in environments where patching is not immediately possible.