CVE-2017-10164 in PeopleSoft Enterprise FSCM
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the PeopleSoft Enterprise FSCM component of Oracle PeopleSoft Products (subcomponent: Staffing Front Office). The supported version that is affected is 9.2. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows low privileged attacker with network access via HTTP to compromise PeopleSoft Enterprise FSCM. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized read access to a subset of PeopleSoft Enterprise FSCM accessible data. CVSS 3.0 Base Score 4.3 (Confidentiality impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/19/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-10164 resides within the PeopleSoft Enterprise Financial Supply Chain Management (FSCM) component, specifically within the Staffing Front Office subcomponent of Oracle PeopleSoft products. This weakness affects version 9.2 of the software and represents a significant security concern due to its easily exploitable nature. The vulnerability manifests as a privilege escalation issue that allows attackers with minimal privileges to gain unauthorized access to sensitive data within the system. The attack vector requires only network access via HTTP, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited from remote locations without requiring physical access to the network infrastructure. This accessibility factor significantly increases the attack surface and potential impact of the vulnerability.
The technical flaw stems from insufficient access controls within the Staffing Front Office functionality, which fails to properly validate user permissions when processing requests. This inadequate authorization mechanism allows low-privileged users to construct malicious HTTP requests that can bypass normal security boundaries and access restricted data sets. The vulnerability specifically impacts confidentiality by enabling unauthorized read access to a subset of PeopleSoft Enterprise FSCM data, though it does not provide modification or deletion capabilities. The CVSS 3.0 scoring of 4.3 reflects the moderate severity of this weakness, with a low attack complexity and the requirement for only low privileges to exploit the vulnerability. The attack requires network access and does not need user interaction, making it particularly concerning for organizations with exposed web services.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data exposure, as it can lead to significant business disruption and potential regulatory compliance issues. Organizations utilizing PeopleSoft FSCM may face unauthorized access to sensitive employee information, financial data, and staffing records that should remain confidential to specific user roles. The vulnerability's ability to be exploited remotely means that attackers can target systems from anywhere with internet connectivity, potentially leading to data breaches that could affect thousands of users. This weakness particularly impacts organizations that rely heavily on PeopleSoft for their financial and human resources management, as it could expose critical business information that would otherwise be protected by proper access controls. The compromise of such data could result in financial loss, reputational damage, and potential legal consequences under data protection regulations.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the relevant Oracle security patches and updates to address the vulnerability. Network segmentation and firewall rules should be reviewed to limit unnecessary HTTP access to PeopleSoft applications, while implementing additional monitoring and logging of access patterns to detect potential exploitation attempts. Access controls should be strengthened through proper user role management and regular audits of permission assignments. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 which addresses improper access control issues, and represents a clear violation of the principle of least privilege. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to initial access and credential access tactics, specifically leveraging weak access controls to achieve unauthorized data access. Organizations should also consider implementing intrusion detection systems and conducting regular security assessments to identify and remediate similar weaknesses in their PeopleSoft environments.