CVE-2016-3510 in WebLogic Server
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the Oracle WebLogic Server component in Oracle Fusion Middleware 10.3.6.0, 12.1.3.0, and 12.2.1.0 allows remote attackers to affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability via vectors related to WLS Core Components, a different vulnerability than CVE-2016-3586.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/07/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-3510 represents a critical security flaw within Oracle WebLogic Server's WLS Core Components, affecting multiple version streams including 10.3.6.0, 12.1.3.0, and 12.2.1.0 within the Fusion Middleware suite. This unspecified vulnerability operates as a remote attack vector that can compromise the fundamental security tenets of confidentiality, integrity, and availability, making it particularly dangerous for enterprise environments that rely heavily on Oracle's middleware infrastructure. The vulnerability's classification as a remote attack means that malicious actors can exploit it without requiring physical access or local system privileges, significantly expanding the potential attack surface and impact scope.
The technical nature of this vulnerability resides within the WLS Core Components of Oracle WebLogic Server, which serve as foundational elements for the server's operation and security management. These components handle critical functions including security policy enforcement, authentication mechanisms, and resource management that govern how the server processes incoming requests and manages its internal operations. The unspecified nature of the flaw suggests that the exact technical mechanism remains undisclosed, but the classification as a WLS Core Components vulnerability indicates that it likely involves fundamental security controls or communication protocols within the server's architecture. This type of vulnerability typically affects how the system validates inputs, manages sessions, or handles security tokens, potentially allowing attackers to bypass authentication mechanisms or manipulate core server processes.
The operational impact of CVE-2016-3510 extends far beyond simple data exposure, as it affects all three pillars of information security simultaneously. Confidentiality breaches could allow attackers to access sensitive enterprise data, proprietary information, and user credentials stored within or processed by the WebLogic Server. Integrity compromises may enable malicious actors to modify critical system configurations, application data, or security policies, potentially leading to persistent backdoors or system corruption. Availability threats could result in denial-of-service conditions that disrupt business operations, potentially causing significant financial losses and reputational damage. Organizations running affected WebLogic Server versions face the risk of complete system compromise, making this vulnerability particularly concerning for mission-critical applications and services that depend on Oracle's middleware infrastructure.
Security professionals should recognize this vulnerability's alignment with several ATT&CK framework techniques including T1078 Valid Accounts for initial access, T1566 Phishing for initial compromise, and T1499 Endpoint Denial of Service for availability impacts. The vulnerability's relationship to CWE categories related to security misconfigurations and input validation errors further emphasizes the need for comprehensive security assessments. Organizations should implement immediate mitigation strategies including applying Oracle's security patches, implementing network segmentation, and deploying intrusion detection systems to monitor for exploitation attempts. The vulnerability's classification as a different issue from CVE-2016-3586 indicates that it represents a distinct threat vector requiring separate mitigation approaches, highlighting the importance of maintaining current security posture assessments and vulnerability management processes. Given the remote nature of exploitation, network-level defenses including firewalls, web application firewalls, and strict access controls become critical components of the overall security strategy to protect against potential exploitation of this vulnerability.