CVE-2016-0408 in PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools component in Oracle PeopleSoft Products 8.53 through 8.55 allows remote authenticated users to affect confidentiality and integrity via vectors related to the Activity Guide sub-component.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/25/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-0408 resides within the PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools component of Oracle PeopleSoft products, specifically affecting versions 8.53 through 8.55. This issue represents a security weakness that enables remote authenticated attackers to compromise both the confidentiality and integrity of systems. The vulnerability manifests through the Activity Guide sub-component, which serves as a critical interface for user interaction within the PeopleSoft environment. The unspecified nature of the flaw suggests a broad category of security weaknesses rather than a specific technical implementation error, indicating potential issues with access controls, data validation, or authentication mechanisms within the Activity Guide functionality.
From a technical perspective, the vulnerability allows authenticated users to exploit weaknesses in the PeopleSoft system's data handling and processing mechanisms. The Activity Guide sub-component typically manages user workflows and activity tracking, making it a potentially valuable target for attackers seeking to manipulate or access sensitive information. The flaw enables attackers to potentially modify data or access confidential information without detection, representing a significant risk to enterprise data integrity and confidentiality. This type of vulnerability falls under the broader category of insecure data handling practices that can lead to data breaches and unauthorized modifications.
The operational impact of CVE-2016-0408 extends beyond simple data compromise, as it affects the fundamental trustworthiness of the PeopleSoft platform. Organizations utilizing affected versions face potential exposure to data leakage, unauthorized modifications to business processes, and possible disruption of critical enterprise operations. The remote nature of the attack means that malicious actors can exploit this weakness from outside the organization's network perimeter, increasing the attack surface and reducing the effectiveness of traditional network-based security controls. This vulnerability particularly affects enterprise environments where PeopleSoft serves as a core business application, potentially impacting financial reporting, human resources management, and other critical business functions.
Security professionals should consider this vulnerability in the context of the CWE (Common Weakness Enumeration) framework, as it likely relates to weaknesses in input validation, access control, or data integrity mechanisms. The ATT&CK (Attack Tree for Threats and Countermeasures) framework would classify this as a privilege escalation or data manipulation attack vector, potentially enabling lateral movement within the enterprise environment. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying Oracle's security patches, strengthening authentication mechanisms, and monitoring for suspicious activity within the PeopleSoft environment. Network segmentation and access control policies should be reviewed to limit potential exploitation paths, while regular security assessments should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other enterprise applications. The vulnerability underscores the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and implementing comprehensive security monitoring across all enterprise applications to prevent unauthorized access and data compromise.