CVE-2009-1970 in Database Server
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the Listener component in Oracle Database 9.2.0.8, 9.2.0.8DV, 10.1.0.5, 10.2.0.4, and 11.1.0.7 allows remote attackers to affect availability via unknown vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/30/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2009-1970 represents a significant security flaw within Oracle Database's Listener component, affecting multiple versions including 9.2.0.8, 9.2.0.8DV, 10.1.0.5, 10.2.0.4, and 11.1.0.7. This unspecified weakness resides in the database's network listening service that handles client connections and communication protocols, making it a critical attack surface for potential adversaries. The Oracle Database Listener serves as the primary interface for database connectivity and is essential for establishing communication between database clients and the database server itself, which amplifies the impact of this vulnerability.
The technical nature of this vulnerability lies within the Listener component's handling of network requests and connection management processes. While the exact vector remains unspecified in the original description, such vulnerabilities typically involve improper input validation, memory management issues, or protocol handling flaws that could allow attackers to manipulate the listener service. The unspecified nature suggests that the vulnerability may involve multiple attack paths or that specific details were not disclosed in the initial CVE report, which is common with certain types of availability-related flaws. This class of vulnerability falls under the broader category of denial of service conditions that can compromise system availability and integrity.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a substantial risk to database availability and system reliability across affected Oracle Database installations. Remote attackers capable of exploiting this weakness could potentially disrupt database services, causing system downtime that impacts business operations and data accessibility. The availability impact specifically indicates that successful exploitation would likely result in service disruption rather than direct data compromise or privilege escalation, though the indirect consequences of such disruptions can be severe in production environments. Organizations relying on Oracle Database for critical business functions would face significant operational challenges if this vulnerability were exploited, particularly in mission-critical systems where database uptime is essential.
The vulnerability aligns with several CWE categories including CWE-119 Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer and CWE-20 Improper Input Validation, which are common in network service components that handle external communication. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability could be leveraged through techniques such as T1499.004 Network Denial of Service and T1498.001 Direct Network Denial of Service, representing the attack tactics of resource hijacking and denial of service. Organizations should implement comprehensive mitigation strategies including immediate patch deployment, network segmentation to limit exposure, and monitoring for suspicious network activity targeting Oracle Listener services. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and implementing proper network access controls to prevent unauthorized access to database services, particularly in environments where database listeners are exposed to untrusted networks.