CVE-2015-2654 in Berkeley DB
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the Data Store component in Oracle Berkeley DB 11.2.5.1.29, 11.2.5.2.42, 11.2.5.3.28, and 12.1.6.0.35 allows local users to affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability via unknown vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2015-2583, CVE-2015-2624, CVE-2015-2626, CVE-2015-2640, CVE-2015-2656, CVE-2015-4754, CVE-2015-4764, CVE-2015-4775, CVE-2015-4776, CVE-2015-4777, CVE-2015-4778, CVE-2015-4780, CVE-2015-4781, CVE-2015-4782, CVE-2015-4783, CVE-2015-4784, CVE-2015-4785, CVE-2015-4786, CVE-2015-4787, CVE-2015-4789, and CVE-2015-4790.
Be aware that VulDB is the high quality source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/14/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-2654 affects Oracle Berkeley DB Data Store component across multiple versions including 11.2.5.1.29, 11.2.5.2.42, 11.2.5.3.28, and 12.1.6.0.35. This unspecified weakness resides within the data storage subsystem that serves as a foundational component for numerous applications requiring robust database functionality. The vulnerability impacts the fundamental security triad of confidentiality, integrity, and availability, indicating a severe security flaw that could potentially compromise critical system operations. The affected component operates at the core level of database management, making it a prime target for attackers seeking to exploit underlying system weaknesses.
The technical nature of this vulnerability remains unspecified in the public description, which is common for certain types of security flaws that may involve complex interactions between multiple system components. However, given that it affects the Data Store component, the vulnerability likely involves memory corruption, improper access controls, or buffer handling issues within the database engine. The fact that this vulnerability differs from other CVE identifiers suggests it represents a unique flaw rather than a variant of previously discovered issues. This distinction is important for security professionals as it indicates a separate attack surface that requires specific remediation approaches.
The operational impact of CVE-2015-2654 extends beyond simple data exposure, as local users can potentially manipulate system resources to achieve unauthorized access or cause system instability. Local privilege escalation scenarios become possible when attackers can leverage this vulnerability to gain elevated system privileges. The confidentiality aspect suggests that sensitive data stored within the database could be accessed without proper authorization, while integrity concerns indicate potential data modification capabilities. Availability impacts may manifest as system crashes, denial of service conditions, or resource exhaustion attacks that prevent legitimate users from accessing database services.
Security practitioners should consider this vulnerability in the context of the CWE (Common Weakness Enumeration) framework, where such unspecified database flaws typically map to categories involving data integrity violations or access control bypasses. The ATT&CK (Attack Tree) methodology would categorize this under privilege escalation and data access tactics, potentially leading to broader system compromise. Organizations using Oracle Berkeley DB in production environments must conduct thorough risk assessments to determine their exposure levels, particularly in scenarios where local user access is possible. The vulnerability's presence in multiple version streams indicates a widespread issue requiring coordinated patch management across affected systems.
Mitigation strategies should include immediate patch deployment from Oracle, along with comprehensive system monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts. Network segmentation and access control measures can help limit local user privileges, while regular security audits should verify that no unauthorized modifications have occurred. System administrators should also implement proper logging mechanisms to track database access patterns and identify anomalous behavior that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability's unspecified nature makes traditional signature-based detection challenging, requiring more sophisticated behavioral analysis approaches to identify potential compromise indicators.
Organizations should prioritize vulnerability remediation based on their specific risk assessments, considering factors such as the proximity of database systems to critical infrastructure, the sensitivity of stored data, and the likelihood of local user compromise. The presence of this vulnerability in multiple versions suggests that organizations may need to upgrade to newer releases to achieve complete protection, as older versions may contain additional undiscovered flaws. Security teams should also review their incident response procedures to ensure readiness for potential exploitation of this vulnerability, particularly given its impact on core system security properties.