CVE-2011-0793 in Database Server
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the Database Vault component in Oracle Database Server 10.2.0.3, 10.2.0.4, 10.2.0.5, 11.1.0.7, and 11.2.0.1 allows remote authenticated users to affect integrity and availability, related to SYSDBA.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/03/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-0793 resides within Oracle Database Server's Database Vault component, a security feature designed to protect database resources through role-based access controls and data protection mechanisms. This unspecified weakness affects multiple versions of Oracle Database including 10.2.0.3, 10.2.0.4, 10.2.0.5, 11.1.0.7, and 11.2.0.1, indicating a significant and persistent flaw in the database security architecture. The vulnerability specifically targets authenticated remote users who possess SYSDBA privileges, which represents a critical attack vector since SYSDBA accounts have the highest level of database administrative access and can bypass many security controls.
The technical nature of this vulnerability allows attackers to compromise both data integrity and system availability through authenticated remote access, which aligns with common attack patterns documented in the ATT&CK framework under privilege escalation and data integrity compromise techniques. The Database Vault component is designed to enforce security policies and protect sensitive data, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous as it undermines the very security mechanisms intended to protect the database. The flaw enables remote authenticated users to manipulate database operations in ways that could lead to data corruption, unauthorized access to protected information, or service disruption that affects database availability.
The operational impact of CVE-2011-0793 extends beyond simple data breaches to encompass potential system-wide disruption and data integrity violations. Attackers with SYSDBA access can exploit this vulnerability to modify database configurations, manipulate audit trails, and potentially execute unauthorized database operations that could compromise the entire database infrastructure. This represents a significant risk to organizations relying on Oracle Database for critical business operations, as the vulnerability could enable attackers to bypass multiple layers of security controls that Database Vault is specifically designed to enforce. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that SYSDBA accounts are typically well-known and accessible to authorized database administrators, making this vulnerability exploitable by both internal and external threat actors.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigation strategies including applying the relevant Oracle security patches and updates, reviewing SYSDBA account access controls, and implementing additional monitoring for suspicious database activities. The vulnerability's classification under CWE categories related to security misconfiguration and privilege escalation highlights the need for comprehensive security reviews of database access controls. Security teams should also consider implementing network segmentation, mandatory access controls, and enhanced logging to detect potential exploitation attempts. The ATT&CK framework suggests that such vulnerabilities are often leveraged in multi-stage attacks where initial access is used to establish persistence and then expanded to compromise additional systems within the network infrastructure. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify similar weaknesses in database environments and ensure that Database Vault configurations are properly enforced across all affected Oracle Database versions.