CVE-2007-2117 in Database Server
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the Oracle Text component in Oracle Database 9.2.0.5 has unknown impact and attack vectors, aka DB12. NOTE: as of 20070424, Oracle has not disputed reliable claims that this involves a buffer overflow in the ctxsrv server daemon.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/14/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2007-2117 resides within Oracle Database's Text component, specifically affecting version 9.2.0.5 and potentially other versions within the 9.x release series. This represents a critical security flaw that was initially disclosed without specific details regarding its impact or attack vectors, creating uncertainty among security professionals and system administrators. The vulnerability is categorized under the broader Oracle Database security landscape and was subsequently confirmed by Oracle to potentially involve a buffer overflow condition within the ctxsrv server daemon, which serves as the core component responsible for text processing operations.
The technical nature of this vulnerability manifests as a buffer overflow condition within the ctxsrv daemon process, which operates as a server-side component that handles Oracle Text functionality. This buffer overflow occurs when the daemon processes specially crafted input data that exceeds the allocated buffer space, potentially allowing malicious actors to overwrite adjacent memory locations. The ctxsrv process typically runs with elevated privileges and handles text search operations, making it a prime target for exploitation attempts. The vulnerability's classification as a buffer overflow aligns with CWE-121, which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions, and potentially CWE-122 for stack-based buffer overflows, depending on the exact memory corruption mechanism.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends significantly across enterprise database environments, particularly those utilizing Oracle Text features for content management, search capabilities, and document processing. Attackers who successfully exploit this buffer overflow could potentially execute arbitrary code on the database server with the privileges of the ctxsrv process, which typically runs with high-privilege permissions. This could lead to complete system compromise, data exfiltration, or denial of service conditions that would severely impact business operations. The vulnerability's nature makes it particularly dangerous because it allows for privilege escalation without requiring authentication, as the ctxsrv daemon typically operates in a privileged context to perform text processing functions.
The attack surface for this vulnerability encompasses any environment running Oracle Database 9.2.0.5 with Oracle Text functionality enabled, including production databases, development environments, and testing systems. The exploitation process would likely involve crafting malicious text input that triggers the buffer overflow condition during text processing operations. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter, as successful exploitation could enable attackers to execute commands through the compromised database server. Organizations should consider implementing network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure, while also monitoring for unusual database activity that might indicate exploitation attempts.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2007-2117 should prioritize immediate patching through Oracle's official security updates, as the vulnerability represents a known exploit target that would have been addressed in subsequent Oracle security patches. Organizations lacking immediate patch deployment capabilities should implement network-level restrictions to limit access to the affected database services, particularly restricting access to the ctxsrv daemon ports from untrusted networks. Additionally, monitoring for anomalous database behavior, implementing proper input validation for text processing operations, and conducting regular security assessments of Oracle database configurations can help reduce the risk of successful exploitation. The vulnerability's classification as a buffer overflow also emphasizes the importance of input sanitization and proper memory management practices in database applications, aligning with industry best practices for preventing similar vulnerabilities in future database deployments.