CVE-2015-2075 in Businessobjects Edge
Summary
by MITRE
SAP BusinessObjects Edge 4.0 allows remote attackers to delete audit events from the auditee queue via a clearData CORBA operation, aka SAP Note 2011396.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/01/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-2075 affects SAP BusinessObjects Edge 4.0, a component within the SAP Business Intelligence platform that handles audit logging and monitoring functions. This flaw represents a significant security weakness in the audit trail management system, where unauthorized remote actors can manipulate the audit data processing queue. The vulnerability specifically resides in the CORBA (Common Object Request Broker Architecture) interface implementation within the audit subsystem, exposing a critical functionality that should remain protected from external interference.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the clearData CORBA operation, which is designed to clear audit event queues but lacks proper authentication and authorization checks. This operation allows remote attackers to execute a denial of service attack against the audit logging system by deleting audit events from the queue, effectively removing evidence of system activities and compromising the integrity of the audit trail. The flaw essentially provides an unrestricted deletion capability that bypasses normal access controls, making it particularly dangerous for environments where audit logging is critical for compliance and security monitoring.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data deletion, as it fundamentally undermines the reliability and integrity of the audit logging infrastructure. Organizations relying on SAP BusinessObjects Edge for compliance reporting, forensic analysis, and security monitoring face significant risks when audit events can be removed remotely without proper authorization. This vulnerability directly affects the principle of non-repudiation and audit integrity, making it difficult for security teams to track system activities and investigate potential security incidents. The attack can be executed from any remote location with network access to the affected system, making it particularly concerning for enterprise environments where such systems are exposed to external networks.
From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-352 (Cross-Site Request Forgery) and CWE-284 (Improper Access Control) categories, representing multiple security control failures in the system's access management and authentication mechanisms. The flaw also maps to ATT&CK technique T1070.001 (Clear Windows Event Logs) and T1562.001 (Impair Defenses - Disable or Modify Tools), as it allows adversaries to remove evidence of their activities and impair the system's defensive capabilities. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including network segmentation to limit access to the CORBA interfaces, enforcing strict authentication requirements for audit operations, and implementing additional monitoring controls to detect unauthorized audit queue modifications. The vulnerability highlights the critical importance of maintaining audit integrity as a fundamental security control and demonstrates how seemingly administrative functions can become attack vectors when proper access controls are not implemented.