CVE-2016-5517 in E-Business Suite
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the Oracle Applications DBA component in Oracle E-Business Suite 12.1.3 allows local users to affect confidentiality via vectors related to AD Utilities.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/27/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-5517 resides within the Oracle Applications DBA component of Oracle E-Business Suite version 12.1.3, representing a security weakness that enables local attackers to compromise data confidentiality. This issue specifically manifests through AD Utilities which are part of the broader database administration functionality within the enterprise suite. The unspecified nature of the vulnerability description indicates that the exact technical mechanism remains undisclosed, though the impact clearly demonstrates a significant risk to information security within enterprise environments that utilize this software version.
The technical flaw operates within the context of local user access, meaning that an attacker must already have legitimate access to the system to exploit this vulnerability. This local privilege escalation or information disclosure weakness typically arises from inadequate access controls or improper privilege management within the AD Utilities framework. The vulnerability's classification as affecting confidentiality suggests that an attacker could potentially extract sensitive data, configuration information, or other proprietary data that should remain protected within the database administration environment. Such issues often stem from insufficient input validation or improper handling of database administrative operations that could be manipulated by malicious users with local access.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability presents substantial risk to organizations using Oracle E-Business Suite 12.1.3, particularly in environments where multiple users have local access to database servers. The confidentiality breach could expose sensitive business data, financial records, user credentials, or system configurations that would normally be protected. Organizations may face regulatory compliance violations, financial losses, and reputational damage if such information is compromised. The local nature of the attack vector suggests that insider threats or compromised user accounts pose significant risk, as attackers could exploit this weakness without requiring external network access or sophisticated attack techniques.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which addresses improper access control issues, and may also relate to CWE-310, concerning cryptographic issues, depending on how the confidentiality breach manifests. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability would map to techniques involving privilege escalation and credential access, potentially enabling adversaries to move laterally within the enterprise environment. Organizations should implement comprehensive monitoring for unauthorized access attempts and ensure proper access controls are maintained. The recommended mitigations include applying Oracle's official security patches, implementing least privilege principles for local system access, and conducting regular security assessments of database administration components. Additionally, organizations should consider network segmentation and enhanced logging to detect potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability underscores the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and implementing robust access control measures within enterprise database environments to prevent unauthorized data disclosure.