CVE-2008-3991 in Database 9i
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the Oracle OLAP component in Oracle Database 9.2.08, 9.2.0.8DV, and 10.1.0.5 allows remote authenticated users to affect availability, related to OLAPSYS.CWM2_OLAP_AW_AWUTIL.
Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/19/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-3991 resides within Oracle Database's OLAP component, specifically affecting versions 9.2.0.8, 9.2.0.8DV, and 10.1.0.5. This issue represents a significant security weakness that allows authenticated remote attackers to compromise system availability, potentially leading to denial of service conditions that can severely impact business operations. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it affects the OLAPSYS.CWM2_OLAP_AW_AWUTIL component, which forms part of Oracle's analytical processing framework that handles complex data analysis and reporting functionalities.
The technical flaw manifests as an unspecified weakness within the Oracle OLAP subsystem that can be exploited by attackers who have already established authentication credentials within the database environment. This authentication requirement means that the vulnerability cannot be exploited by anonymous users, but rather by individuals who have gained legitimate access to database accounts, potentially through credential compromise, insider threats, or other attack vectors that lead to authenticated access. The vulnerability specifically targets the CWM2_OLAP_AW_AWUTIL package, which serves as a critical interface for OLAP administrative operations and data manipulation functions.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates a serious availability risk that can result in complete system unavailability or significant degradation of service for database users who rely on OLAP functionality. Attackers could potentially disrupt business intelligence operations, analytical reporting systems, and data mining processes that depend on the affected OLAP components. The consequences extend beyond simple service disruption to include potential data integrity issues, as the availability compromise could prevent legitimate users from accessing critical analytical information required for business decision-making processes.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should prioritize immediate remediation through Oracle's official security patches and updates, as the vulnerability affects multiple versions of Oracle Database that were widely deployed in enterprise environments during the period when this vulnerability was prevalent. The mitigation strategy should include comprehensive patch management procedures, regular security assessments of database environments, and enhanced monitoring for unauthorized access attempts. Additionally, implementing network segmentation and principle of least privilege access controls can help minimize the potential impact if an attacker does gain authenticated access to the system. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-119, which addresses weaknesses in memory management and access control, and represents a significant concern for organizations following ATT&CK framework's privilege escalation and denial of service tactics.