CVE-2017-10207 in Hospitality Simphony
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the Oracle Hospitality Simphony component of Oracle Hospitality Applications (subcomponent: Utilities). The supported version that is affected is 2.9. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows unauthenticated attacker with network access via HTTP to compromise Oracle Hospitality Simphony. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized ability to cause a partial denial of service (partial DOS) of Oracle Hospitality Simphony. CVSS 3.0 Base Score 5.3 (Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/03/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-10207 resides within the Oracle Hospitality Simphony component, specifically within the Utilities subcomponent of Oracle Hospitality Applications. This critical weakness affects version 2.9 of the software, representing a significant security gap in hospitality management systems that serve numerous hotels and restaurants worldwide. The vulnerability manifests as an easily exploitable flaw that can be leveraged by unauthenticated attackers without requiring any prior access credentials or privileges. The attack vector operates through HTTP network connections, making it particularly dangerous as it can be initiated from any location with internet connectivity, potentially allowing attackers to target systems remotely without detection.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and access controls within the Simphony Utilities component, which fails to properly authenticate or authorize incoming HTTP requests. This flaw creates an unauthorized access point that allows attackers to manipulate system resources and potentially disrupt normal operations. The vulnerability's classification as a partial denial of service indicates that while attackers cannot completely shut down the system, they can impair its functionality and availability to legitimate users. The CVSS 3.0 scoring system rates this vulnerability with a base score of 5.3, reflecting its moderate severity level with availability impacts being the primary concern. The vector notation CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L clearly demonstrates that this is a network-based attack requiring low complexity, no prior privileges, and no user interaction, making it particularly dangerous in production environments.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption, as it can compromise the integrity of hospitality operations and potentially affect customer experiences. Organizations utilizing Oracle Hospitality Simphony may face partial service outages, data accessibility issues, and potential business disruption during attack periods. The lack of authentication requirements means that attackers can exploit this vulnerability without any prior knowledge of system credentials, significantly increasing the attack surface and reducing the effectiveness of traditional security measures. This vulnerability represents a critical gap in the security architecture of hospitality management systems and highlights the importance of proper input validation and access control mechanisms. The attack scenario typically involves an unauthenticated attacker sending malicious HTTP requests to the affected system, potentially causing system instability or resource exhaustion that impacts service availability.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including network segmentation to restrict access to the affected systems, deployment of web application firewalls to monitor and filter HTTP traffic, and application-level access controls to limit unauthorized access attempts. The recommended approach involves applying the vendor-provided security patches as soon as they become available, while also implementing network monitoring to detect anomalous HTTP traffic patterns. Additionally, organizations should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify any other potentially affected components within their hospitality management infrastructure. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 (Improper Access Control) and represents a significant concern for organizations following ATT&CK framework's privilege escalation and denial of service tactics. Regular security audits and penetration testing should be conducted to ensure that similar vulnerabilities are not present in other critical systems, particularly those handling sensitive customer data and transactional information within hospitality environments. The incident underscores the necessity for robust security controls in enterprise applications and the importance of maintaining up-to-date security measures to protect against evolving threats in the hospitality industry.