CVE-2010-3521 in Peoplesoft And Jdedwards Product Suite
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the PeopleSoft Enterprise HCM ePay component in Oracle PeopleSoft and JDEdwards Suite 9.0 to Payroll Update 10-C and 9.1 to Payroll Update 10-C allows remote authenticated users to affect confidentiality and integrity via unknown vectors.
Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/22/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2010-3521 resides within the PeopleSoft Enterprise HCM ePay component of Oracle PeopleSoft and JDEdwards Suite versions 9.0 through Payroll Update 10-C and 9.1 through Payroll Update 10-C. This represents a critical security flaw that affects organizations utilizing these enterprise resource planning systems for human capital management and payroll processing. The vulnerability's unspecified nature indicates that the exact technical mechanism remains undisclosed, though its classification as affecting both confidentiality and integrity suggests a significant impact on data protection and system integrity. The affected components are part of Oracle's broader suite of enterprise applications that handle sensitive financial and personnel data, making this vulnerability particularly concerning for organizations with extensive payroll and human resources operations.
The technical flaw manifests as an unspecified vulnerability that permits remote authenticated users to compromise system integrity and confidentiality. This means that an attacker who has legitimate credentials to access the system can exploit this weakness to either access sensitive data or modify system information without detection. The authentication requirement suggests that the vulnerability cannot be exploited by anonymous users, but rather requires someone with valid login credentials, potentially including employees, contractors, or system administrators who may have been compromised through credential theft or insider threats. This classification aligns with CWE-284 Access Control Issues, which encompasses problems where access controls are improperly implemented, allowing unauthorized access to system resources. The attack vector being remote indicates that exploitation does not require physical access to the system, making the vulnerability particularly dangerous as attackers can leverage network connections to compromise systems.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data exposure, as it affects both the confidentiality and integrity aspects of the affected systems. Organizations relying on PeopleSoft ePay for payroll processing face significant risks including unauthorized access to sensitive employee compensation data, potential manipulation of payroll records, and possible disruption of critical financial processes. The compromise of payroll data integrity could lead to incorrect payments, fraudulent transactions, or systematic alterations to employee compensation records that might not be immediately detected. This vulnerability particularly impacts organizations in regulated industries such as healthcare, financial services, or government sectors where payroll data protection and audit trails are mandatory. The potential for both confidentiality and integrity breaches means that organizations must consider not only data theft but also the possibility of undetected system manipulation that could have cascading effects throughout their financial and human resources operations.
Organizations should implement multiple layers of mitigation strategies to address this vulnerability effectively. Immediate remediation efforts should focus on applying Oracle's security patches and updates as released for the affected PeopleSoft and JDEdwards Suite versions. Access control measures including strong authentication protocols, regular credential rotation, and privileged access monitoring should be implemented to reduce the attack surface. Network segmentation and monitoring of access patterns can help detect anomalous behavior that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability's classification as an access control issue suggests that implementing principle of least privilege should be prioritized, ensuring that users only have access to the specific functions necessary for their roles. Additionally, organizations should conduct comprehensive security assessments of their PeopleSoft environments, particularly focusing on payroll and human resources modules, to identify potential indicators of compromise and establish baseline security configurations that align with industry standards such as those recommended in the NIST Cybersecurity Framework and ISO 27001. Regular vulnerability scanning and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar weaknesses in other components of the enterprise applications stack, as the presence of one vulnerability often indicates potential for similar issues in related systems.