CVE-2015-4857 in Oracle
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the RDBMS component in Oracle Database Server 12.1.0.1 and 12.1.0.2 allows remote authenticated users to affect confidentiality and integrity via unknown vectors.
Be aware that VulDB is the high quality source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/22/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-4857 resides within Oracle Database Server's RDBMS component affecting versions 12.1.0.1 and 12.1.0.2. This represents a significant security weakness that enables authenticated remote attackers to compromise both the confidentiality and integrity of database operations. The unspecified nature of the vulnerability vectors indicates that the exact technical mechanism remains undisclosed, which is common in zero-day vulnerabilities where the precise exploitation method has not been fully characterized or publicly documented.
The technical flaw manifests through the RDBMS component's handling of authenticated user sessions, allowing malicious actors who have already established legitimate database connections to manipulate data integrity and access confidential information. This vulnerability operates at the database level and leverages the trust relationship between the database server and authenticated users. The impact spans both data confidentiality and integrity, meaning attackers could potentially read sensitive information while also modifying or corrupting database contents. The vulnerability's remote nature means exploitation does not require physical access to the database server, making it particularly dangerous in networked environments.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses severe risks to organizations relying on Oracle Database Server 12.1.0.1 and 12.1.0.2 for critical business operations. The ability to compromise both confidentiality and integrity simultaneously creates a comprehensive threat vector that could lead to data breaches, financial loss, regulatory violations, and operational disruption. Organizations with database systems running these vulnerable versions face potential exposure to insider threats or compromised legitimate user accounts, as the attack can be executed through authenticated sessions without requiring additional privileges. The vulnerability's presence in database server versions widely deployed across enterprise environments increases the potential impact significantly.
Security mitigations for CVE-2015-4857 primarily involve applying Oracle's official security patches and updates released through their database security alerts. Organizations should implement comprehensive patch management processes to ensure timely deployment of Oracle's security fixes for affected database versions. Network segmentation and access controls should be strengthened to limit the attack surface, while monitoring systems should be enhanced to detect anomalous database activities that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 (Improper Access Control) and could potentially map to ATT&CK techniques involving privilege escalation and data manipulation within database environments. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify and remediate similar issues in database infrastructure.