CVE-2008-0865 in WebLogic Portal
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in BEA WebLogic Portal 8.1 through SP6 allows remote attackers to bypass entitlements for instances of a floatable WLP portlet via unknown vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/11/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-0865 represents a critical access control flaw within BEA WebLogic Portal versions 8.1 through SP6. This issue resides in the entitlement management system that governs user permissions and access to portal resources. The vulnerability specifically affects floatable WLP portlets which are dynamic components that can be moved and positioned within the portal interface. These portlets typically contain sensitive content and functionality that should be restricted based on user roles and permissions.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient validation mechanisms within the WebLogic Portal's authorization framework. When users interact with floatable portlets, the system should verify that the requesting user possesses the appropriate entitlements to access specific instances of these portlets. However, the flaw allows remote attackers to exploit unknown vectors that bypass these authorization checks, effectively granting unauthorized access to protected portal resources. This represents a fundamental breakdown in the principle of least privilege that should govern all enterprise portal applications.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant for organizations utilizing BEA WebLogic Portal in production environments. Remote attackers can potentially access confidential information, manipulate portal content, and perform unauthorized actions within the portal framework. The vulnerability affects the core security architecture of the portal system, undermining the trust model that organizations rely upon for protecting sensitive data. Since the attack vector is remote, threat actors can exploit this weakness from external networks without requiring physical access or prior authentication within the system. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous as it can be exploited by attackers anywhere on the internet.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement mitigations including applying the vendor-provided patches and updates for WebLogic Portal 8.1 through SP6. Network segmentation and firewall rules should be implemented to restrict access to portal resources where possible. Additionally, security monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual access patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 which addresses improper access control issues, and represents a clear violation of the ATT&CK technique T1078 which covers valid accounts and legitimate credentials for unauthorized access. Organizations should also consider implementing additional authentication layers and access control reviews to prevent similar issues in other portal and web application components.