CVE-2016-0518 in E-Business Suite
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the Oracle Human Resources component in Oracle E-Business Suite 11.5.10.2 allows remote attackers to affect confidentiality and integrity via unknown vectors related to General utilities, a different vulnerability than CVE-2016-0517.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/04/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-0518 resides within the Oracle Human Resources component of the Oracle E-Business Suite version 11.5.10.2, representing a critical security weakness that exposes organizations to significant risks. This issue specifically affects the General utilities functionality within the Human Resources module, creating potential attack surfaces that could be exploited by remote threat actors. The vulnerability's classification as unspecified indicates that the exact technical details of the flaw were not fully disclosed in the initial reporting, though it was clearly distinct from the closely related CVE-2016-0517, which suggests a pattern of interconnected vulnerabilities within the same product line. The Oracle E-Business Suite represents a comprehensive enterprise resource planning solution that many organizations rely upon for critical business operations, making vulnerabilities within its Human Resources component particularly concerning from a security perspective.
The technical nature of this vulnerability involves a weakness in how the General utilities functionality handles certain operations, allowing remote attackers to compromise both confidentiality and integrity of the affected systems. This dual impact capability suggests that attackers could potentially access sensitive human resources data while simultaneously modifying critical personnel information, payroll records, or other confidential business data. The unspecified vector nature indicates that the attack could occur through various methods including but not limited to web-based interfaces, API endpoints, or other network-accessible components that interact with the General utilities functionality. Such vulnerabilities often stem from improper input validation, inadequate access controls, or flawed authentication mechanisms within the application layer, particularly when dealing with administrative utilities that have elevated privileges.
The operational impact of CVE-2016-0518 extends beyond simple data compromise to potentially disrupt critical business processes that depend on accurate human resources information. Organizations utilizing Oracle E-Business Suite for payroll processing, employee management, or compliance reporting could face severe consequences if attackers exploit this vulnerability, including financial losses, regulatory violations, and reputational damage. The remote nature of the attack means that threat actors do not require physical access to the network or systems, significantly expanding the potential attack surface and making the vulnerability particularly dangerous for organizations with distributed workforces or cloud-based deployments. This vulnerability could enable attackers to manipulate employee records, alter compensation data, or access sensitive personal information, creating cascading effects throughout the enterprise that could impact multiple business units and regulatory compliance requirements.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the relevant Oracle Critical Patch Update (CPU) that addresses this specific vulnerability, as well as implementing network segmentation to limit access to the affected Human Resources components. Security teams should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments to identify all instances of the Oracle E-Business Suite within their environment and ensure proper patch management protocols are in place. Additional protective measures include implementing network monitoring solutions to detect anomalous access patterns, establishing robust access controls for Human Resources utilities, and conducting regular security audits of the E-Business Suite configuration. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which describes inadequate access control issues, and may also relate to ATT&CK techniques involving privilege escalation and credential access. Organizations should also consider implementing database activity monitoring and application-level security controls to provide additional layers of protection against exploitation attempts targeting these types of administrative utilities.