CVE-2017-10253 in PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools component of Oracle PeopleSoft Products (subcomponent: Pivot Grid). Supported versions that are affected are 8.54 and 8.55. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows unauthenticated attacker with network access via HTTP to compromise PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools. Successful attacks require human interaction from a person other than the attacker and while the vulnerability is in PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools, attacks may significantly impact additional products. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized update, insert or delete access to some of PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools accessible data as well as unauthorized read access to a subset of PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools accessible data. CVSS 3.0 Base Score 6.1 (Confidentiality and Integrity impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/02/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-10253 resides within the PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools component, specifically within the Pivot Grid subcomponent of Oracle PeopleSoft Products. This weakness affects versions 8.54 and 8.55, representing a significant security gap that exposes organizations to potential exploitation. The vulnerability's classification as easily exploitable indicates that attackers can leverage it without requiring specialized skills or extensive preparation, making it particularly dangerous in production environments where PeopleSoft systems handle sensitive business data.
The technical flaw manifests through an insufficient input validation mechanism within the Pivot Grid functionality that processes HTTP requests. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by sending specially crafted HTTP requests to the affected PeopleSoft application without requiring authentication credentials. This unauthenticated access capability allows threat actors to manipulate data within the PeopleTools environment, creating a pathway for unauthorized modifications to system data. The vulnerability's design flaw enables attackers to perform update, insert, and delete operations against specific data sets while also gaining read access to sensitive information within the PeopleTools accessible data scope.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability presents a substantial risk to organizations relying on PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools for business-critical applications. The CVSS 3.0 score of 6.1 reflects the moderate severity of the threat, with confidentiality and integrity impacts rated as low but still significant. The requirement for human interaction from a person other than the attacker suggests that social engineering or targeted phishing campaigns might be necessary to initiate the attack, though this does not reduce the overall risk. The potential compromise extends beyond the immediate PeopleTools environment, as successful exploitation can impact additional products within the PeopleSoft ecosystem, creating cascading security implications for enterprise-wide systems.
Organizations must implement comprehensive mitigation strategies to address this vulnerability effectively. The primary recommendation involves applying Oracle's official security patches and updates to bring affected systems to supported versions. Network segmentation and access controls should be strengthened to limit exposure of PeopleSoft applications to untrusted networks. Implementing web application firewalls and monitoring HTTP traffic for suspicious patterns can help detect exploitation attempts. Additionally, organizations should conduct regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning to identify potential entry points for similar attacks. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation) and maps to ATT&CK technique T1190 (Exploit Public-Facing Application) and T1071.004 (Application Layer Protocol: DNS) in the MITRE ATT&CK framework, highlighting the multi-faceted nature of the threat landscape and the need for layered defensive approaches to protect enterprise applications.