CVE-2008-3994 in Database 11i
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the Workspace Manager component in Oracle Database 9.2.0.8, 9.2.0.8DV, 10.1.0.5, 10.2.0.3, and 11.1.0.6 allows remote authenticated users to affect confidentiality and integrity, related to WMSYS.LTADM.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/19/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-3994 resides within Oracle Database's Workspace Manager component, specifically affecting versions 9.2.0.8, 9.2.0.8DV, 10.1.0.5, 10.2.0.3, and 11.1.0.6. This unspecified weakness manifests in the WMSYS.LTADM schema object which governs the Workspace Manager functionality within Oracle Database environments. The vulnerability's classification as remote authenticated indicates that an attacker must first establish valid credentials to exploit the flaw, yet the impact extends to both confidentiality and integrity of database resources. This represents a significant security concern as it allows malicious actors with legitimate access to potentially manipulate or extract sensitive data from database systems.
The technical nature of this vulnerability involves a weakness in the Workspace Manager's privilege management and access control mechanisms within Oracle Database. The WMSYS.LTADM component serves as a critical administrative interface for workspace management operations, and the unspecified flaw likely pertains to improper validation of user privileges or insufficient access controls when processing workspace manager commands. This weakness enables authenticated users to potentially bypass normal security restrictions and execute unauthorized operations against the database's workspace management features. The vulnerability's impact on both confidentiality and integrity suggests that attackers may be able to read sensitive data and modify database contents through manipulation of the Workspace Manager functionality.
From an operational standpoint, this vulnerability creates substantial risk for organizations utilizing affected Oracle Database versions, particularly those with multiple authenticated users or applications that rely on Workspace Manager functionality. The remote exploitation capability means that attackers can potentially compromise database integrity from external network locations, while the authenticated requirement limits the attack surface to legitimate users who may have elevated privileges within the database environment. Organizations with legacy Oracle installations or those that have not applied the relevant security patches face heightened risk of data breaches or unauthorized modifications to critical database structures. The vulnerability's presence in multiple versions indicates a persistent flaw in Oracle's Workspace Manager implementation that required patching across several release lines.
Security practitioners should consider this vulnerability in relation to the CWE-284 access control weakness classification, which specifically addresses improper access control mechanisms in software systems. The ATT&CK framework's privilege escalation and defense evasion techniques may be relevant to understanding how this vulnerability could be leveraged by attackers to gain unauthorized access to database resources. Organizations should prioritize immediate patching of affected Oracle Database installations to remediate this vulnerability, while implementing network segmentation and monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts. Additionally, access control reviews should focus on Workspace Manager privileges and user permissions to minimize the impact of potential exploitation. The vulnerability highlights the importance of comprehensive database security management and regular patch maintenance to protect against authenticated privilege escalation attacks targeting core database components.