CVE-2017-3503 in Primavera P6 Enterprise Project Portfolio Management
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the Primavera P6 Enterprise Project Portfolio Management component of Oracle Primavera Products Suite (subcomponent: Web Access (Apache Commons BeanUtils)). Supported versions that are affected are 8.3, 8.4, 15.1, 15.2, 16.1 and 16.2. Easily "exploitable" vulnerability allows low privileged attacker with network access via HTTP to compromise Primavera P6 Enterprise Project Portfolio Management. While the vulnerability is in Primavera P6 Enterprise Project Portfolio Management, attacks may significantly impact additional products. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in takeover of Primavera P6 Enterprise Project Portfolio Management. CVSS 3.0 Base Score 9.9 (Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/20/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-3503 represents a critical security flaw within Oracle Primavera P6 Enterprise Project Portfolio Management, specifically within the Web Access component that utilizes Apache Commons BeanUtils library. This vulnerability resides in the processing of serialized data within the application's web interface, creating a pathway for malicious exploitation that can lead to complete system compromise. The affected versions span across multiple release lines including 8.3, 8.4, 15.1, 15.2, 16.1, and 16.2, indicating a widespread impact across the Primavera product suite. The vulnerability's classification as easily exploitable means that attackers require minimal privileges and can leverage network-based attacks through HTTP protocols to gain unauthorized access to the system. The CVSS 3.0 score of 9.9 reflects the severe impact potential with high scores across all three core security principles: confidentiality, integrity, and availability, making this a particularly dangerous vulnerability that can result in complete system takeover.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from improper input validation within the Apache Commons BeanUtils library implementation used by Primavera P6. This flaw allows attackers to perform deserialization attacks that can execute arbitrary code on the target system. The vulnerability manifests when the application processes user-supplied data that is serialized in a format that can be manipulated to trigger malicious behavior during the deserialization process. Attackers can leverage this weakness by crafting specially formatted HTTP requests that contain malicious serialized objects, which when processed by the vulnerable application can result in remote code execution. The low privilege requirement means that even unauthenticated attackers can potentially exploit this vulnerability, though network access is still required to initiate the attack vector. This deserialization vulnerability aligns with CWE-502 which specifically addresses unsafe deserialization practices that can lead to remote code execution and system compromise.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-3503 extends far beyond the immediate Primavera P6 environment, as successful exploitation can result in complete system takeover and unauthorized access to critical project portfolio management data. Organizations utilizing Primavera P6 may experience significant business disruption, data breaches, and potential regulatory compliance violations due to the high-impact nature of this vulnerability. The availability impact means that systems could become completely inaccessible, while the integrity compromise allows attackers to modify critical project data, resource allocations, and scheduling information that could fundamentally alter project outcomes and organizational planning. The confidentiality impact exposes sensitive project data, financial information, and strategic planning details that organizations rely upon for competitive advantage. Given the widespread deployment of Primavera P6 across industries including construction, engineering, and project management, the potential for cascading effects across multiple organizations and supply chains makes this vulnerability particularly concerning from a cybersecurity perspective.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-3503 should prioritize immediate patching of affected systems with Oracle's security updates and patches specifically addressing this vulnerability. Organizations must implement network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure of the affected components to untrusted networks. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual patterns in HTTP traffic and potential exploitation attempts targeting the vulnerable deserialization endpoints. Network-based intrusion detection systems should be configured to identify and block malicious serialized data payloads that could be used in exploitation attempts. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing application firewalls and web application firewalls to filter potentially malicious requests before they reach the vulnerable application components. The remediation process should include thorough vulnerability assessments of all systems using Primavera P6 to identify additional potential attack vectors and ensure complete protection against related exploitation techniques. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to validate the effectiveness of implemented controls and identify any remaining vulnerabilities in the environment.