CVE-2016-0489 in Enterprise Manager
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the Oracle Application Testing Suite component in Oracle Enterprise Manager Grid Control 12.4.0.2 and 12.5.0.2 allows remote authenticated users to affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability via unknown vectors related to Test Manager for Web Apps. NOTE: the previous information is from the January 2016 CPU. Oracle has not commented on third-party claims that this is a directory traversal vulnerability in the ActionServlet servlet, which allows remote authenticated users to upload and execute arbitrary files via directory traversal sequences in the tempfilename parameter in a ReportImage action.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/04/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-0489 affects Oracle Application Testing Suite within Oracle Enterprise Manager Grid Control versions 12.4.0.2 and 12.5.0.2, representing a critical security weakness that compromises the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of affected systems. This vulnerability resides within the Test Manager for Web Apps component, which is part of Oracle's comprehensive enterprise monitoring and testing framework. The unspecified nature of the vulnerability initially obscured its precise nature, but subsequent analysis has revealed it to be a directory traversal issue that enables attackers to manipulate file system operations through carefully crafted requests.
The technical flaw manifests in the ActionServlet servlet where the vulnerability occurs during processing of the tempfilename parameter within the ReportImage action. This directory traversal vulnerability allows authenticated attackers to manipulate file paths and execute arbitrary code on the target system. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and improper handling of user-supplied data that flows directly into file system operations without adequate sanitization or access control mechanisms. The flaw enables attackers to traverse directory structures beyond the intended scope, potentially allowing them to upload malicious files to arbitrary locations on the server.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a severe risk to organizations using Oracle Enterprise Manager Grid Control, as it allows remote authenticated attackers to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the application server process. The impact extends beyond simple code execution to encompass complete system compromise, data exfiltration, and potential lateral movement within the network. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to establish persistent backdoors, escalate privileges, or use the compromised system as a launch point for attacking other network resources. The availability impact is significant as successful exploitation could lead to system crashes, resource exhaustion, or complete service disruption.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-22 Directory Traversal and CWE-74 Injection flaws, representing a classic path traversal attack vector that bypasses normal access controls to access unauthorized files or directories. This weakness is particularly concerning in enterprise environments where Oracle Enterprise Manager Grid Control typically runs with elevated privileges and has access to sensitive enterprise data. The attack surface is broad as the vulnerability affects multiple versions of the Oracle Application Testing Suite, increasing the potential impact across various organizational deployments.
Security professionals should implement immediate mitigations including applying Oracle's security patches and updates as released in their January 2016 Critical Patch Update. Network segmentation and access controls should be strengthened to limit access to the affected components, while monitoring should be enhanced to detect anomalous file upload patterns or directory traversal attempts. The vulnerability also maps to ATT&CK technique T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter, as successful exploitation would likely involve executing malicious code through the compromised application server, and T1078 Valid Accounts, since the attack requires authenticated access to leverage the vulnerability effectively. Organizations should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify all instances of affected Oracle Enterprise Manager Grid Control installations and ensure proper patch management protocols are in place to prevent similar vulnerabilities from being exploited in the future.