CVE-2011-2315 in PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools component in Oracle PeopleSoft Products 8.49, 8.50, and 8.51 allows remote authenticated users to affect confidentiality and integrity via unknown vectors related to Security.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/24/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-2315 resides within the PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools component of Oracle PeopleSoft Products affecting versions 8.49, 8.50, and 8.51. This unspecified security flaw represents a critical weakness that enables remote authenticated attackers to compromise both confidentiality and integrity of affected systems. The vulnerability's classification as unspecified indicates that the exact technical mechanism remains undisclosed, which is common with certain types of security flaws that may involve complex interactions between multiple system components. The PeopleTools component serves as a foundational framework for PeopleSoft applications, making this vulnerability particularly concerning as it could potentially impact numerous business-critical processes and data management functions within organizations relying on these platforms. The fact that the vulnerability affects multiple consecutive versions suggests a systemic issue within the security architecture rather than an isolated incident.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from its relationship to security controls within the PeopleSoft environment, where authenticated users can exploit the flaw to manipulate system behavior in ways that compromise data integrity and confidentiality. This suggests that the vulnerability likely involves improper access controls, insufficient input validation, or flawed authentication mechanisms that allow attackers with valid credentials to escalate their privileges or manipulate sensitive data. The unspecified nature of the vectors implies that the attack could potentially occur through various pathways including but not limited to session manipulation, privilege escalation, or data injection techniques. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple data theft to include integrity compromise, meaning that attackers could potentially modify or corrupt data within the PeopleSoft environment, undermining the reliability and accuracy of business-critical information systems.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risks to organizations utilizing PeopleSoft products, as it allows remote attackers to compromise both the confidentiality and integrity of sensitive business data. The remote aspect of the vulnerability means that attackers do not need physical access to the network or systems, enabling them to exploit the flaw from external locations. This characteristic significantly increases the attack surface and makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous for organizations with internet-facing PeopleSoft applications. The authentication requirement suggests that the vulnerability is not a simple backdoor but rather involves an attacker who has already gained legitimate access to the system, making it more difficult to detect and harder to prevent through traditional network security measures. The potential for both confidentiality and integrity compromise means that organizations face risks ranging from data theft to system manipulation that could disrupt business operations and violate regulatory compliance requirements.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigation strategies including applying available patches and updates from Oracle, conducting comprehensive security assessments of their PeopleSoft environments, and strengthening access controls and monitoring procedures. The vulnerability's classification under CWE categories related to security misconfiguration and access control flaws indicates that traditional security controls may be insufficient to prevent exploitation. System administrators should consider implementing additional monitoring for unusual authentication patterns, session management anomalies, and data access activities that could indicate exploitation attempts. The ATT&CK framework would classify this vulnerability under techniques related to privilege escalation and credential access, emphasizing the need for layered security approaches including network segmentation, least privilege access controls, and regular security audits. Organizations should also review their incident response procedures to ensure they can effectively detect and respond to potential exploitation attempts, given that the vulnerability affects core business applications that are integral to organizational operations and data integrity.