CVE-2016-5519 in GlassFish Server
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the Oracle GlassFish Server component in Oracle Fusion Middleware 2.1.1, 3.0.1, and 3.1.2 allows remote authenticated users to affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability via vectors related to Java Server Faces.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/26/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-5519 resides within Oracle GlassFish Server, a widely deployed application server component of Oracle Fusion Middleware. This issue affects versions 2.1.1, 3.0.1, and 3.1.2, representing a critical security flaw that undermines the fundamental security posture of systems utilizing this middleware. The vulnerability specifically impacts the Java Server Faces implementation within the GlassFish Server, which serves as a core framework for building web applications in the Java ecosystem. The unspecified nature of the vulnerability indicates that it encompasses multiple potential attack vectors related to the Java Server Faces component, making it particularly concerning for security professionals who must assess and protect against various exploitation techniques.
The technical flaw manifests through a weakness in how the GlassFish Server handles Java Server Faces requests, potentially allowing authenticated remote attackers to compromise system integrity and confidentiality. This vulnerability operates at the application layer and leverages the inherent trust relationships within the middleware architecture. The Java Server Faces framework typically manages user interface components and handles request processing, making it a prime target for attackers seeking to manipulate application behavior. The vulnerability's impact spans all three pillars of information security confidentiality, integrity, and availability, indicating that successful exploitation could result in data breaches, system corruption, and service disruption. This aligns with CWE-20, which categorizes improper input validation as a fundamental weakness that can lead to various security issues including those affecting data integrity and availability.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risk to organizations relying on Oracle GlassFish Server for their enterprise applications. The authenticated nature of the attack means that an attacker must first obtain valid credentials, but this requirement does not mitigate the potential damage since compromised accounts can provide access to sensitive data and system functions. The impact extends beyond simple data theft, as attackers could potentially modify application behavior, corrupt data, or disrupt service availability through denial of service attacks. Organizations using these specific versions of GlassFish Server face immediate risk of compromise, particularly in environments where security controls may be insufficient to prevent credential theft or where privileged accounts are compromised. The vulnerability's presence in widely used middleware components means that successful exploitation could affect multiple applications hosted on the same server, amplifying the potential impact.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2016-5519 should prioritize immediate patching of affected GlassFish Server versions, with administrators upgrading to supported releases that contain the necessary security fixes. Organizations should implement network segmentation to limit access to GlassFish Server instances and enforce strict authentication controls, including multi-factor authentication for privileged accounts. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual patterns in Java Server Faces request processing and to identify potential exploitation attempts. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this type of vulnerability under application layer attacks, specifically targeting server-side application frameworks. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify similar weaknesses in the broader application stack. Additionally, implementing web application firewalls and input validation controls can provide additional defense-in-depth measures to protect against exploitation attempts targeting the Java Server Faces component. Organizations should also review their incident response procedures to ensure readiness for potential exploitation of this vulnerability, particularly given its impact on all three security domains.