CVE-2016-0407 in PeopleSoft Enterprise HCM
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the PeopleSoft Enterprise HCM component in Oracle PeopleSoft Products 9.1 and 9.2 allows remote authenticated users to affect confidentiality via vectors related to Fusion HR Talent Integration.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/25/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-0407 resides within Oracle PeopleSoft Enterprise HCM component versions 9.1 and 9.2, representing a significant security weakness that impacts organizations utilizing these enterprise applications. This unspecified vulnerability specifically affects the Fusion HR Talent Integration functionality, which serves as a critical integration layer for human resources data management within PeopleSoft environments. The affected component operates as part of Oracle's broader PeopleSoft product suite, which is widely deployed across enterprise organizations for managing human capital processes including employee data, payroll, benefits, and talent management. The vulnerability's classification as remote authenticated indicates that an attacker must possess valid credentials to exploit the flaw, yet the potential impact remains severe given the sensitive nature of human resources data.
The technical nature of this vulnerability involves a weakness in how the Fusion HR Talent Integration component processes certain data inputs or authentication flows, though the exact mechanism remains unspecified in the public CVE description. This type of vulnerability typically falls under the category of information disclosure or data confidentiality breaches, where unauthorized access to sensitive employee information could occur. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple data exposure, as human resources databases contain highly sensitive personal information including social security numbers, addresses, salary details, and performance reviews that could be leveraged for identity theft, financial fraud, or corporate espionage. The authentication requirement means that the attack vector likely involves privilege escalation or session manipulation rather than simple credential theft, potentially allowing a legitimate user with lower privileges to access restricted HR data.
Organizations operating affected PeopleSoft versions face substantial operational risks from this vulnerability, particularly in environments where multiple user roles exist within the HR system. The confidentiality impact suggests that attackers could potentially access confidential employee records, compromising privacy and potentially violating data protection regulations such as gdpr or hipaa depending on the jurisdiction and data type involved. The remote nature of the vulnerability means that attackers could exploit this weakness from external network locations, expanding the potential attack surface beyond traditional perimeter-based security controls. This vulnerability directly impacts the principle of least privilege and data classification policies within enterprise security frameworks, potentially allowing unauthorized data access that could lead to insider threat scenarios or external data breaches. The affected scope includes organizations that rely on PeopleSoft for their core HR operations, particularly those in regulated industries where data protection compliance is mandatory.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2016-0407 should prioritize immediate implementation of Oracle's security patches and updates, as these are specifically designed to address the identified weakness in the Fusion HR Talent Integration component. Organizations should implement enhanced monitoring of HR system access logs to detect unusual authentication patterns or unauthorized data access attempts. Network segmentation and access controls should be strengthened around PeopleSoft environments, particularly for HR-related components that handle sensitive data. Regular security assessments and penetration testing of PeopleSoft applications should be conducted to identify additional vulnerabilities in the broader PeopleSoft ecosystem. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 access control weaknesses and could be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1078 valid accounts, representing a privilege escalation or account takeover scenario. Organizations should also consider implementing data loss prevention tools specifically configured to monitor for sensitive HR data exfiltration attempts, and establish incident response procedures for handling potential confidentiality breaches in HR databases.