CVE-2013-3768 in PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools component in Oracle PeopleSoft Products 8.51, 8.52, and 8.53 allows remote attackers to affect integrity via unknown vectors related to Rich Text Editor.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/05/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-3768 resides within the PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools component of Oracle PeopleSoft products affecting versions 8.51, 8.52, and 8.53. This issue represents a significant security weakness that enables remote attackers to compromise the integrity of the system through unspecified vectors connected to the Rich Text Editor functionality. The Rich Text Editor component serves as a critical interface element within PeopleSoft applications, allowing users to create and format content with various text formatting options, embedded objects, and multimedia elements. This particular vulnerability demonstrates the inherent risks associated with rich text processing capabilities, where user-supplied content can be manipulated to execute malicious code or alter system behavior.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and sanitization within the Rich Text Editor implementation. When users interact with the editor to input content, the system fails to properly validate or sanitize the data before processing it, creating opportunities for attackers to inject malicious code or manipulate the underlying system. This flaw falls under the category of input validation vulnerabilities, which are commonly classified as CWE-20 by the Common Weakness Enumeration system. The vulnerability allows attackers to potentially modify data integrity within the PeopleSoft environment, which could lead to unauthorized data modification, content injection, or other malicious activities that compromise the system's integrity. The unspecified nature of the attack vectors suggests that multiple pathways exist for exploitation, making the vulnerability particularly concerning from a security perspective.
The operational impact of CVE-2013-3768 extends beyond simple data corruption, as it can enable attackers to manipulate critical business processes that rely on PeopleSoft's PeopleTools component. Organizations utilizing these affected versions may experience unauthorized modifications to business data, compromised user sessions, or potential privilege escalation opportunities. The Rich Text Editor functionality is extensively used across various PeopleSoft applications including Human Capital Management, Financials, and Supply Chain Management, meaning that a successful exploitation could affect multiple business domains simultaneously. This vulnerability directly impacts the integrity pillar of the CIA triad, potentially allowing attackers to modify data in ways that could disrupt business operations, compromise regulatory compliance, or facilitate further attacks within the network environment.
Security practitioners should consider this vulnerability in relation to the MITRE ATT&CK framework, specifically under the techniques related to data manipulation and privilege escalation. The vulnerability may enable attackers to move laterally within the network by compromising data integrity, potentially leading to more extensive system compromises. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the relevant Oracle security patches, implementing network segmentation to limit access to PeopleSoft applications, and deploying web application firewalls to monitor and filter content entering the Rich Text Editor components. Additionally, organizations should conduct thorough security assessments of their PeopleSoft environments to identify any potential exploitation attempts and establish monitoring procedures to detect anomalous behavior related to content modification activities. The vulnerability underscores the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and implementing proper input validation mechanisms across all web-based applications that process user-supplied content.