CVE-2013-3831 in Oracle
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the Oracle Portal component in Oracle Fusion Middleware 11.1.1.6.0 allows remote authenticated users to affect confidentiality and integrity via unknown vectors related to Demos.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/26/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-3831 resides within the Oracle Portal component of Oracle Fusion Middleware version 11.1.1.6.0, representing a significant security weakness that affects authenticated remote attackers. This unspecified flaw specifically relates to the Demos functionality within the Oracle Portal, creating potential pathways for adversaries to compromise system confidentiality and integrity. The vulnerability's classification as unspecified indicates that Oracle did not provide detailed technical information about the exact nature of the flaw during the initial disclosure, which is common with certain types of security issues that may involve multiple attack vectors or complex underlying mechanisms.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability appears to leverage the Demos feature within Oracle Portal, which typically provides demonstration content and functionality to showcase portal capabilities. Attackers with valid authentication credentials can exploit this weakness to potentially access sensitive information and modify system data. The Demos component likely processes user inputs or handles data in ways that create opportunities for information disclosure and data manipulation. This type of vulnerability falls under the category of access control flaws, where properly authenticated users can leverage their privileges to perform unauthorized actions beyond their intended scope. The weakness could involve improper input validation, insufficient access controls, or flawed session management within the demos functionality.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates substantial risk for organizations utilizing Oracle Fusion Middleware 11.1.1.6.0, particularly those with multiple authenticated users or systems where the demos feature is enabled. The impact extends beyond simple data exposure to include potential data corruption or modification, which can lead to system instability and compromise of business-critical information. Organizations may experience unauthorized access to confidential portal configurations, user data, or business-sensitive information that could be leveraged for further attacks. The remote nature of the vulnerability means attackers do not need physical access to the system, making it particularly dangerous for environments with internet-facing portal implementations. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 (Improper Access Control) and CWE-311 (Missing Encryption of Sensitive Data) categories, representing both access control violations and potential data exposure issues.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2013-3831 should prioritize immediate patching of affected Oracle Fusion Middleware installations to the latest security updates provided by Oracle. Organizations should disable or restrict access to the Demos functionality when not required for legitimate business purposes, implementing principle of least privilege controls for portal users. Network segmentation and monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual activities related to portal access, particularly around the demos component. Security teams should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify all instances of the affected software and ensure proper access controls are implemented for portal components. Additionally, implementing web application firewalls and intrusion detection systems can help monitor and prevent exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining current security patches and conducting regular security assessments, as outlined in the ATT&CK framework's mitigation strategies for credential access and privilege escalation techniques. Organizations should also consider implementing additional logging and audit controls specifically for portal components to detect unauthorized access attempts and maintain compliance with industry security standards.