CVE-2016-3573 in Primavera P6 Enterprise Project Portfolio Management
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the Primavera P6 Enterprise Project Portfolio Management component in Oracle Primavera Products Suite 8.3, 8.4, 15.1, 15.2, and 16.1 allows remote attackers to affect confidentiality and integrity via vectors related to Web access, a different vulnerability than CVE-2016-3566, CVE-2016-3568, CVE-2016-3569, CVE-2016-3570, and CVE-2016-3571.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/08/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-3573 represents a significant security weakness within Oracle Primavera P6 Enterprise Project Portfolio Management, a widely deployed project management solution used across various industries for enterprise-level project planning and portfolio management. This vulnerability specifically affects versions 8.3, 8.4, 15.1, 15.2, and 16.1 of the Primavera Products Suite, making it a critical concern for organizations that rely on these systems for managing complex project portfolios and enterprise resources. The affected component resides within the web access functionality of the Primavera platform, indicating that the vulnerability can be exploited through standard web-based attack vectors that target the application's HTTP interface.
The technical nature of this vulnerability involves a weakness in the web access handling mechanisms of the Primavera P6 system that enables remote attackers to compromise both confidentiality and integrity of the affected data. While the exact technical flaw remains unspecified in the CVE description, the classification as a web access related vulnerability suggests issues with input validation, authentication mechanisms, or data processing within the web application layer. This type of vulnerability typically stems from improper handling of user-supplied data or inadequate security controls in the web interface that processes requests from external sources. The vulnerability's classification under the broader category of web application flaws aligns with common attack patterns documented in the CWE database, particularly those related to insecure web application components and improper input validation.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates substantial risk for organizations utilizing Primavera P6 systems, as remote attackers can potentially access sensitive project data, manipulate project schedules and resource allocations, and compromise the integrity of critical business information. The ability to affect both confidentiality and integrity means that adversaries could not only read sensitive project information but also modify project data, potentially leading to significant business disruption, financial losses, and compliance violations. Organizations relying on Primavera P6 for managing large-scale projects and portfolios face particular risk, as the compromised system could affect multiple concurrent projects and enterprise-wide resource planning activities. The vulnerability's remote exploitability eliminates the need for physical access or insider knowledge, making it particularly dangerous as attackers can target the system from anywhere on the internet.
The exploitation of this vulnerability aligns with several tactics outlined in the MITRE ATT&CK framework, particularly those related to initial access through web application attacks and privilege escalation via data manipulation. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to establish persistent access to project management systems, potentially using the compromised environment as a foothold for further attacks within the enterprise network. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond immediate data compromise to include potential disruption of business operations, as project schedules and resource allocations are fundamental to enterprise planning and execution. Organizations should consider implementing network segmentation and monitoring solutions to detect potential exploitation attempts, as well as establishing incident response procedures specifically addressing web application vulnerabilities in enterprise project management systems. The vulnerability's relationship to other CVEs in the same advisory cycle suggests a pattern of weaknesses within the Primavera P6 web interface components, indicating that comprehensive security assessments of the entire application stack may be necessary to identify and remediate similar issues.