CVE-2014-0378 in Database Server
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the Spatial component in Oracle Database Server 11.1.0.7, 11.2.0.3, 11.2.0.4, and 12.1.0.1 allows local users to affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability via unknown vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/04/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-0378 resides within the Spatial component of Oracle Database Server, affecting versions 11.1.0.7, 11.2.0.3, 11.2.0.4, and 12.1.0.1. This spatial functionality within Oracle Database enables the storage, retrieval, and manipulation of geometric data including points, lines, polygons, and other spatial objects. The unspecified nature of the vulnerability vectors makes this particularly concerning as it suggests the flaw could manifest through multiple attack pathways, potentially including privilege escalation, data manipulation, or system compromise. The spatial component is critical for applications requiring geographic information systems, location-based services, and spatial analytics, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous for organizations relying on such functionality.
The technical flaw within the Spatial component represents a fundamental security weakness that allows local users to potentially compromise the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the database system. Local access means an attacker with valid credentials or system access can exploit this vulnerability to gain unauthorized privileges or manipulate data. This type of vulnerability typically stems from inadequate input validation, improper access controls, or flawed memory management within the spatial processing modules. The attack surface expands significantly when considering that spatial data often contains sensitive information such as geographic coordinates, location-based assets, or proprietary spatial datasets that organizations depend upon for business operations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data compromise, as it affects all three core principles of information security. Confidentiality breaches could result in exposure of sensitive spatial data including customer locations, asset positions, or proprietary geographic information that organizations consider critical business intelligence. Integrity compromises might allow attackers to modify spatial data, potentially corrupting maps, altering geographic boundaries, or manipulating location-based services that could have cascading effects on business operations. Availability concerns arise from the potential for denial-of-service conditions or system crashes that could disrupt critical business processes relying on spatial database functionality. Organizations using Oracle Spatial for mission-critical applications such as emergency response systems, logistics planning, or urban development projects face particularly severe consequences from such vulnerabilities.
Organizations should immediately implement comprehensive mitigation strategies including applying Oracle's security patches and updates as released through their official security bulletins. The vulnerability's classification as a local privilege escalation issue necessitates strict access controls and principle of least privilege enforcement for database accounts. Network segmentation and monitoring should be enhanced to detect unauthorized access attempts to spatial database components. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should specifically target Oracle Spatial functionality to identify potential exploitation vectors. Additionally, implementing database auditing controls can help detect anomalous spatial data manipulation activities that might indicate exploitation attempts. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-254 category for security weaknesses related to insufficient access control, and could potentially map to ATT&CK techniques involving privilege escalation and credential access through database exploitation.