CVE-2010-0860 in Database Server
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the Core RDBMS 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 authenticated users to affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability via unknown vectors related to the Create User privilege.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/07/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2010-0860 represents a significant security weakness within Oracle Database's Core RDBMS component affecting multiple version lines including 9.2.0.8, 9.2.0.8DV, 10.1.0.5, 10.2.0.4, and 11.1.0.7. This issue specifically relates to improper handling of the Create User privilege, which falls under the broader category of privilege escalation vulnerabilities. The vulnerability's classification as unspecified indicates that the exact technical mechanisms enabling the attack were not fully disclosed in the initial reporting, making it particularly concerning for security professionals who must assess risk without complete technical details.
The technical flaw manifests when authenticated users with insufficient privileges attempt to exploit the Create User functionality within the database system. This vulnerability allows attackers to potentially compromise the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the database system through unknown attack vectors. The fact that this affects the Core RDBMS component suggests the issue lies within fundamental database operations rather than application-level functions, which typically increases the severity and impact scope. The vulnerability's relationship to user creation privileges indicates that attackers might be able to manipulate database user accounts in ways that could lead to unauthorized access or data manipulation.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a substantial risk to organizations relying on Oracle Database systems, particularly those with multiple database versions across their infrastructure. The remote nature of the attack vector means that authenticated users from external networks could potentially exploit this weakness, though the requirement for authentication limits the initial attack surface. The impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability indicates that successful exploitation could result in data breaches, data corruption, or service disruption. Organizations with legacy database systems running these vulnerable versions face particular risk given the age of the affected releases and potential lack of current support or patches.
Security professionals should consider this vulnerability in the context of the ATT&CK framework, specifically relating to privilege escalation and credential access techniques. The CWE (Common Weakness Enumeration) classification for this type of issue would likely fall under weaknesses related to improper privilege management or insufficient access control mechanisms. Organizations should prioritize patching efforts to address this vulnerability, particularly in environments where database users have elevated privileges. The remediation approach typically involves applying Oracle's security patches or updating to supported database versions. Additionally, implementing network segmentation and monitoring for unusual user creation activities can help detect potential exploitation attempts. Given the broad range of affected versions, comprehensive vulnerability assessments should be conducted across all database systems to identify and remediate instances of this vulnerability.