CVE-2016-8291 in PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools component in Oracle PeopleSoft Products 8.54 and 8.55 allows remote attackers to affect confidentiality and integrity via vectors related to Mobile Application Platform.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/27/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-8291 resides within the PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools component of Oracle PeopleSoft products, specifically affecting versions 8.54 and 8.55. This unspecified weakness manifests within the Mobile Application Platform functionality, representing a critical security gap that enables remote attackers to compromise both confidentiality and integrity of affected systems. The Mobile Application Platform serves as a crucial interface for mobile device integration within enterprise environments, making this vulnerability particularly concerning for organizations relying on mobile workforce solutions.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and access control mechanisms within the Mobile Application Platform component. Attackers can exploit this weakness through remote network connections without requiring authentication credentials, leveraging the platform's mobile integration capabilities to manipulate data and potentially access sensitive information. The vulnerability's classification as affecting both confidentiality and integrity aligns with common security principle violations where unauthorized parties can not only read confidential data but also modify or corrupt existing information within the system. This dual impact represents a fundamental breakdown in the system's security controls, particularly concerning data protection and system integrity.
From an operational perspective, the impact of CVE-2016-8291 extends beyond simple data compromise to encompass potential business disruption and regulatory compliance violations. Organizations utilizing PeopleSoft with affected versions face risks of data breaches, unauthorized modifications to business-critical information, and potential exposure of sensitive employee or customer data. The remote exploitation capability means that attackers can target these systems from anywhere on the internet, eliminating the need for physical access or insider knowledge. This vulnerability directly impacts the attack surface of enterprise environments and can facilitate more extensive attacks, as it provides a foothold for further exploitation attempts.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the relevant Oracle security patches, restricting network access to the affected components, and implementing network segmentation to limit potential attack vectors. The vulnerability demonstrates weaknesses that align with CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation) and CWE-284 (Improper Access Control) categories, indicating fundamental flaws in input sanitization and access control mechanisms. Security monitoring should focus on unusual network traffic patterns and unauthorized access attempts to the Mobile Application Platform. Additionally, organizations should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify similar weaknesses in other enterprise applications and ensure proper access controls are implemented across all system components. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1190 (Exploit Public-Facing Application) and T1071.004 (Application Layer Protocol: DNS), reflecting the attack methods and techniques that threat actors would employ to exploit such weaknesses in enterprise mobile platforms.