CVE-2016-3446 in Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition component in Oracle Fusion Middleware 11.1.1.7.0 and 11.1.1.9.0 allows remote attackers to affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability via vectors related to Analytics Web Administration.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/07/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-3446 resides within Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition component of the Oracle Fusion Middleware suite, specifically affecting versions 11.1.1.7.0 and 11.1.1.9.0. This represents a critical security flaw that enables remote attackers to compromise the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of affected systems through the Analytics Web Administration interface. The unspecified nature of the vulnerability suggests it may involve multiple attack vectors or a complex exploitation scenario that could impact various aspects of the system's security posture.
The technical flaw manifests within the Analytics Web Administration functionality, which serves as the primary interface for managing and configuring business intelligence analytics capabilities. This component typically handles administrative tasks such as user management, system configuration, report scheduling, and resource allocation. Attackers exploiting this vulnerability can potentially manipulate the administrative functions to gain unauthorized access to sensitive data, modify system configurations, or disrupt service availability. The vulnerability's classification under the broader category of web administration flaws aligns with common attack patterns documented in the ATT&CK framework, particularly those involving privilege escalation and lateral movement through administrative interfaces.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data compromise, as it affects all three fundamental principles of information security. Confidentiality breaches could expose sensitive business intelligence data, financial reports, and strategic information to unauthorized parties. Integrity violations might allow attackers to corrupt system configurations, manipulate analytical results, or alter user permissions, potentially leading to significant business disruption. Availability threats could manifest as denial-of-service conditions that prevent legitimate administrators from accessing critical business intelligence systems, impacting decision-making processes and operational continuity. The vulnerability's presence in Oracle Fusion Middleware versions indicates it affects enterprise-level analytics deployments where the consequences of compromise could be substantial.
Security professionals should consider implementing multiple layers of defense when addressing this vulnerability, including network segmentation to limit access to administrative interfaces, strict authentication controls, and regular security assessments of the Oracle Fusion Middleware environment. The vulnerability's characteristics align with CWE-284, which addresses improper access control issues, and may also relate to CWE-311, concerning the absence of encryption for sensitive data. Organizations should prioritize patch management and ensure that all systems running affected Oracle Fusion Middleware versions receive the appropriate security updates from Oracle. Additionally, monitoring network traffic for suspicious administrative access patterns and implementing robust logging mechanisms can help detect potential exploitation attempts and provide evidence for incident response activities.