CVE-2008-5446 in E-Business Suite
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the Oracle Applications Framework component in Oracle E-Business Suite 11.5.10 CU2 and 12.0.6 allows remote authenticated users to affect confidentiality via unknown vectors. NOTE: the previous information was obtained from the January 2009 CPU. Oracle has not commented on reliable researcher claims that this issue is related to unrestricted guest access to the "About Us Page" in the Oracle Applications Framework (OAF), which allows attackers to obtain sensitive system and application environment information.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/25/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-5446 resides within the Oracle Applications Framework component of Oracle E-Business Suite versions 11.5.10 CU2 and 12.0.6, representing a significant security weakness that affects the confidentiality of sensitive information. This unspecified vulnerability manifests through unknown attack vectors that enable remote authenticated users to access confidential data, demonstrating the critical importance of proper access controls and information protection mechanisms in enterprise software environments. The vulnerability was initially documented in the January 2009 Critical Patch Update, indicating that Oracle had identified and acknowledged this security flaw as part of their regular security maintenance cycle.
The technical flaw associated with this vulnerability appears to be related to unrestricted guest access to the "About Us Page" within the Oracle Applications Framework, a component that typically serves to provide basic information about the application and system configuration. This particular weakness allows attackers to bypass normal authentication requirements and obtain sensitive system and application environment information without proper authorization. The unrestricted access to this specific page creates a potential information disclosure pathway that could expose critical system details, configuration parameters, and environment variables that should remain protected from unauthorized access. This flaw directly relates to CWE-200, which addresses the exposure of sensitive information to an unauthorized actor, and represents a classic example of inadequate access control mechanisms.
The operational impact of CVE-2008-5446 extends beyond simple information disclosure, as the sensitive data obtained through this vulnerability could provide attackers with valuable insights for further exploitation attempts. The information accessible through the unrestricted guest access to the About Us Page likely includes system configuration details, version information, and potentially database connection parameters that could facilitate more sophisticated attacks. This vulnerability affects organizations running Oracle E-Business Suite in production environments, where unauthorized access to system information could lead to targeted attacks against the application infrastructure. The remote nature of the attack vector means that adversaries can exploit this vulnerability from outside the organization's network perimeter, amplifying the potential impact and reducing the effectiveness of network-based security controls.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigations including applying the relevant Oracle Critical Patch Update that addresses this specific issue, reviewing and strengthening access controls for the Oracle Applications Framework components, and monitoring for unauthorized access attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of regular security patching and the need for comprehensive security assessments of enterprise applications. Security teams should also consider implementing additional monitoring controls to detect unusual access patterns to sensitive application pages and establish proper network segmentation to limit the impact of potential exploitation attempts. This vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical need for maintaining up-to-date security measures and the potential consequences of inadequate access controls in enterprise software platforms.
The attack surface for this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1087.001, which involves account discovery through system information discovery, and T1566.001, which covers spearphishing through social engineering. The unrestricted access to system information through the About Us Page provides attackers with the reconnaissance data needed to plan more sophisticated attacks against the Oracle E-Business Suite environment, potentially leading to privilege escalation or data theft. Organizations should also consider implementing principle of least privilege controls and regular security audits of their Oracle application configurations to prevent similar vulnerabilities from remaining unpatched for extended periods.