CVE-2017-3481 in FLEXCUBE Universal Banking
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the Oracle FLEXCUBE Universal Banking component of Oracle Financial Services Applications (subcomponent: Infrastructure). Supported versions that are affected are 11.3.0, 11.4.0 and 12.0.1. Easily "exploitable" vulnerability allows low privileged attacker with network access via HTTP to compromise Oracle FLEXCUBE Universal Banking. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized ability to cause a partial denial of service (partial DOS) of Oracle FLEXCUBE Universal Banking. CVSS 3.0 Base Score 4.3 (Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/19/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-3481 resides within Oracle FLEXCUBE Universal Banking, a critical component of Oracle Financial Services Applications that serves as the backbone for banking operations. This specific weakness manifests in the Infrastructure subcomponent of the FLEXCUBE Universal Banking system, affecting versions 11.3.0, 11.4.0, and 12.0.1. The vulnerability represents a significant security concern for financial institutions relying on this platform, as it demonstrates the potential for unauthorized access and system disruption. The affected system operates within the financial services sector where the integrity and availability of banking applications are paramount to business operations and customer trust.
This vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and access control mechanisms within the HTTP request processing functionality of the FLEXCUBE Universal Banking infrastructure. The flaw allows an attacker with low privileges and network access to exploit a path traversal or similar weakness that enables manipulation of system resources. The CVSS 3.0 scoring system rates this vulnerability with a base score of 4.3, indicating a moderate severity level with availability impact. The attack vector requires network access via HTTP, making it relatively accessible to threat actors who can potentially gain unauthorized access to system resources. The vulnerability's classification as easily exploitable means that minimal technical expertise is required to successfully compromise the system, making it particularly dangerous for financial institutions.
The operational impact of successful exploitation of CVE-2017-3481 can result in partial denial of service conditions that significantly disrupt banking operations. This partial DOS capability means that while the system may not completely crash, it can become partially unavailable to legitimate users, causing service interruptions that can affect transaction processing, customer access, and overall business continuity. Financial institutions using affected versions of FLEXCUBE Universal Banking face potential operational risks including delayed transactions, customer service disruptions, and possible financial losses due to system unavailability. The vulnerability's impact on availability directly affects the business continuity and service level agreements that financial institutions must maintain for their customers.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the relevant Oracle patches and security updates released to address this vulnerability. Network segmentation and access control measures should be strengthened to limit unauthorized access to the affected system components. Regular security monitoring and vulnerability assessments should be conducted to identify similar weaknesses in the broader financial services infrastructure. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-20, which addresses improper input validation, and represents a potential entry point for attackers following the MITRE ATT&CK framework's initial access tactics. Organizations should also consider implementing intrusion detection systems and network monitoring tools to detect anomalous HTTP traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The affected versions should be upgraded to supported releases that contain the necessary security fixes to prevent exploitation of this vulnerability.