CVE-2011-2278 in PeopleSoft Products
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the PeopleSoft Enterprise HRMS component in Oracle PeopleSoft Products 8.9, Bundle, #24, 9.0, Bundle, #17, 9.1, Bundle, and #6 allows remote authenticated users to affect confidentiality via unknown vectors related to Talent Acquisition Manager.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/28/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-2278 resides within the PeopleSoft Enterprise HRMS component of Oracle PeopleSoft products, specifically affecting versions 8.9, 9.0, and 9.1 along with their respective bundle updates. This unspecified weakness manifests within the Talent Acquisition Manager module, representing a critical security gap that enables remote authenticated attackers to compromise data confidentiality. The vulnerability's classification as unspecified indicates that the exact technical mechanism remains undisclosed, though its impact on information security is significant. The affected components operate within enterprise environments where sensitive human resources data flows through PeopleSoft systems, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous for organizations managing employee records, recruitment data, and personnel information. The Talent Acquisition Manager module specifically handles recruitment processes, candidate data, and employment-related information, creating a prime target for adversaries seeking to extract confidential personnel details. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which addresses improper access control issues, and represents a classic case of insufficient authorization mechanisms allowing unauthorized data access. The remote authentication requirement suggests that attackers must first establish legitimate credentials before exploiting this weakness, though the subsequent access to confidential information remains unrestricted. Organizations utilizing these PeopleSoft versions face potential exposure to data breaches involving sensitive recruitment data, personal employee information, and proprietary talent acquisition processes. The vulnerability's presence in multiple product versions indicates a widespread issue affecting the entire PeopleSoft HRMS product line, requiring comprehensive patch management across affected systems. Security professionals should note that this vulnerability's exploitation could lead to significant compliance violations under data protection regulations such as gdpr, hipaa, and other privacy frameworks governing personnel data handling.
The technical nature of this vulnerability suggests that it operates through unknown vectors related to the Talent Acquisition Manager functionality, implying that the attack surface may involve data processing operations, user session management, or access control enforcement mechanisms within the PeopleSoft framework. The unspecified nature of the vulnerability's exploitation method indicates that it could potentially involve multiple attack paths including but not limited to parameter manipulation, session hijacking, or privilege escalation within the application's access control model. The remote authenticated nature of the attack means that an adversary must first authenticate to the system using valid credentials, but once authenticated, they can leverage this vulnerability to access data that should normally be restricted to authorized personnel only. This characteristic places the vulnerability in the ATT&CK framework under the privilege escalation and credential access categories, specifically aligning with techniques such as "Exploitation for Privilege Escalation" and "Valid Accounts" as attack vectors. The affected PeopleSoft components operate within enterprise network environments where they interact with various databases and application servers, creating multiple potential entry points for exploitation. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple data theft to include potential operational disruption, as unauthorized access to talent acquisition data could compromise recruitment processes and organizational planning. Organizations should consider this vulnerability as part of a broader security assessment focusing on access control mechanisms and data protection controls within their PeopleSoft implementations.
Organizations affected by CVE-2011-2278 face significant operational and compliance risks, particularly in environments where PeopleSoft HRMS serves as the primary platform for managing sensitive personnel information. The vulnerability's potential to affect confidentiality represents a direct threat to data integrity and privacy protection measures within enterprise environments. Security teams should implement immediate monitoring of authenticated user activities and access patterns to detect potential exploitation attempts. The remediation process requires careful coordination with Oracle support to ensure proper patch installation across all affected PeopleSoft versions, including the specific bundle updates mentioned in the vulnerability description. Organizations should consider implementing additional access controls and monitoring mechanisms to detect unauthorized access attempts even before the vulnerability is fully patched. The vulnerability's presence in multiple versions of the PeopleSoft platform necessitates a comprehensive approach to vulnerability management, including regular assessment of access controls and implementation of network segmentation to limit potential attack surfaces. Security controls should include database activity monitoring, user behavior analytics, and regular access reviews to ensure that only authorized personnel can access sensitive talent acquisition data. Given the potential for compliance violations, organizations should also conduct thorough risk assessments to evaluate the impact of this vulnerability on their data protection obligations and regulatory compliance requirements. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and implementing robust access control measures within enterprise applications that handle sensitive personal and personnel data.