CVE-2017-3237 in Automatic Service Request
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the Automatic Service Request (ASR) component of Oracle Support Tools (subcomponent: ASR Manager). The supported version that is affected is Prior to 5.7. Easily "exploitable" vulnerability allows low privileged attacker with logon to the infrastructure where Automatic Service Request (ASR) executes to compromise Automatic Service Request (ASR). Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in takeover of Automatic Service Request (ASR). CVSS 3.0 Base Score 7.8 (Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/20/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-3237 resides within Oracle Support Tools' Automatic Service Request (ASR) component, specifically within the ASR Manager subcomponent. This flaw affects versions prior to 5.7 of the ASR functionality, representing a significant security weakness in Oracle's support infrastructure. The vulnerability operates at the system level where ASR executes, making it particularly dangerous as it targets the core operational mechanisms that handle automated service requests for Oracle products. The ASR component is designed to facilitate automated issue reporting and support communication between Oracle customers and support teams, making it a critical element in the Oracle support ecosystem that requires robust security controls.
The technical nature of this vulnerability manifests as a privilege escalation flaw that allows attackers with minimal system access to compromise the ASR functionality entirely. The CVSS 3.0 score of 7.8 indicates a high-severity issue with significant impacts across all three core security principles: confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The attack vector is classified as local access (AV:L) meaning an attacker must already have login credentials to the system where ASR operates, but once inside the environment, the vulnerability provides sufficient privileges to take complete control of the ASR component. The low attack complexity (AC:L) and low privilege requirements (PR:L) make this vulnerability particularly dangerous as it requires minimal effort to exploit once an attacker has initial access to the system infrastructure.
The operational impact of successful exploitation of CVE-2017-3237 is severe and multifaceted, potentially allowing an attacker to completely compromise the ASR functionality and gain full control over automated support processes. This compromise could enable unauthorized access to sensitive system information, modification of support requests and responses, and disruption of critical support operations. The vulnerability's ability to affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability simultaneously creates a comprehensive security breach that could impact not only the ASR component itself but also the broader Oracle support infrastructure. Attackers could potentially use this vulnerability to intercept support communications, manipulate automated responses, or even disrupt service delivery to Oracle customers, making this a critical concern for organizations relying on Oracle's automated support mechanisms.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigation strategies including patching to version 5.7 or later of the Oracle Support Tools to address this vulnerability. The recommended approach involves thorough system assessment to identify all instances of the vulnerable ASR component and ensuring proper access controls are implemented to limit logon privileges to only authorized personnel. System administrators should also implement monitoring controls to detect unauthorized access attempts to ASR execution environments and establish network segmentation to isolate ASR components from general infrastructure access. Additionally, organizations should review their privilege management policies and ensure that least-privilege principles are enforced for all system access, particularly for environments where ASR functionality operates. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-269: "Improper Privilege Management" and represents a clear violation of the principle of least privilege, potentially enabling attackers to escalate from local access to full system compromise through the ASR Manager component. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under privilege escalation techniques where local access can be leveraged to achieve complete system control, making it a critical target for both defensive and offensive security teams to address.