CVE-2016-5515 in Agile PLM
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the Oracle Agile PLM component in Oracle Supply Chain Products Suite 9.3.4 and 9.3.5 allows remote authenticated users to affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability via vectors related to RMIServlet.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/08/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-5515 resides within the Oracle Agile PLM component of the Oracle Supply Chain Products Suite, specifically affecting versions 9.3.4 and 9.3.5. This issue represents a significant security weakness that enables remote authenticated attackers to compromise the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected systems. The vulnerability manifests through vectors associated with the RMIServlet component, which serves as a critical communication interface within the application architecture. The affected Oracle Agile PLM system operates within enterprise supply chain environments where product lifecycle management processes are critical for business operations, making this vulnerability particularly concerning for organizations relying on these platforms.
The technical flaw exploited in this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and access control mechanisms within the RMIServlet functionality. This servlet component likely processes remote method invocation requests that are not adequately sanitized or authenticated, allowing attackers who have already established legitimate credentials to escalate their privileges or manipulate system resources. The unspecified nature of the vulnerability description suggests that the core issue involves improper handling of serialized objects or method calls that could lead to arbitrary code execution, information disclosure, or denial of service conditions. The RMIServlet acts as a gateway for remote communication within the application, making it a prime target for exploitation since it typically requires minimal authentication to access while providing extensive system functionality.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates substantial risk for organizations utilizing Oracle Agile PLM systems, particularly those in manufacturing, automotive, or other industries where product data integrity is paramount. The ability to affect confidentiality means that sensitive product information, design specifications, and intellectual property could be accessed by unauthorized parties. Integrity compromise allows attackers to modify critical product data, potentially leading to manufacturing errors, safety issues, or competitive disadvantages. The availability impact could result in system downtime or complete service disruption, affecting entire product development cycles and supply chain operations. Organizations may experience cascading effects throughout their enterprise systems as product data corruption or system outages propagate through interconnected business processes. This vulnerability particularly affects enterprises that depend on Agile PLM for managing complex product development workflows, where a single compromised system could disrupt multiple downstream operations.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2016-5515 should prioritize immediate patch application from Oracle, as this represents the most effective solution to address the underlying vulnerability. Organizations should implement network segmentation to limit access to the RMIServlet component, restricting it to trusted network zones and implementing strict firewall rules. Additional defensive measures include enhanced monitoring of RMI traffic patterns, implementing intrusion detection systems to identify suspicious activity, and conducting regular security assessments of the Agile PLM environment. Access control policies should be strengthened to ensure that only authorized personnel can access the affected components, while also implementing principle of least privilege principles for all user accounts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-20, which addresses improper input validation, and may map to ATT&CK techniques involving privilege escalation and data manipulation. Organizations should also consider implementing application-level firewalls and web application firewalls to provide additional layers of protection around the vulnerable servlet component. Regular security training for administrators and developers on secure coding practices can help prevent similar issues in future deployments, while maintaining comprehensive audit logs will aid in detecting and responding to potential exploitation attempts.