CVE-2017-3554 in WebCenter Sites
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the Oracle WebCenter Sites component of Oracle Fusion Middleware (subcomponent: Catalog Mover). Supported versions that are affected are 11.1.1.8.0, 12.2.1.0.0, 12.2.1.1.0 and 12.2.1.2.0. Easily "exploitable" vulnerability allows low privileged attacker with network access via HTTP to compromise Oracle WebCenter Sites. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized creation, deletion or modification access to critical data or all Oracle WebCenter Sites accessible data as well as unauthorized access to critical data or complete access to all Oracle WebCenter Sites accessible data. CVSS 3.0 Base Score 8.1 (Confidentiality and Integrity impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/01/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-3554 resides within Oracle WebCenter Sites, a component of Oracle Fusion Middleware that serves as a content management and digital asset management platform. This specific flaw exists within the Catalog Mover subcomponent, which handles the movement and management of catalog data within the system. The affected versions span across multiple release lines including 11.1.1.8.0, 12.2.1.0.0, 12.2.1.1.0, and 12.2.1.2.0, indicating this represents a widespread issue affecting the core functionality of the platform. The vulnerability's classification as easily exploitable suggests that attackers can leverage this weakness without requiring extensive technical expertise or specialized tools, making it particularly dangerous in production environments.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient authorization controls within the Catalog Mover functionality, allowing low privileged attackers to perform unauthorized operations against the system. Attackers with network access via HTTP can exploit this weakness to gain unauthorized access to critical system data and perform operations that should be restricted to authorized administrators. The vulnerability specifically enables attackers to create, delete, or modify critical data within Oracle WebCenter Sites, potentially compromising the integrity and confidentiality of all accessible data. This represents a significant privilege escalation issue where users with minimal access rights can gain substantial control over the content management system.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data compromise, as it creates a pathway for attackers to manipulate the entire content repository managed by Oracle WebCenter Sites. Successful exploitation could result in complete data loss, unauthorized modification of critical business content, or the introduction of malicious content into the system. The CVSS 3.0 score of 8.1 reflects the high severity of this vulnerability, with both confidentiality and integrity impacts rated as high. The attack vector requiring only network access via HTTP means that this vulnerability can be exploited from external networks, potentially allowing remote attackers to compromise systems without requiring physical access or prior authentication. The lack of user interaction requirement (UI:N) further increases the exploitability factor, as attackers can initiate attacks automatically without user involvement.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigations including applying the relevant Oracle security patches, restricting network access to the affected system, and implementing network segmentation to limit exposure. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 (Improper Access Control) and represents a clear violation of the principle of least privilege, where unauthorized users can perform administrative operations. From an ATT&CK perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1078 (Valid Accounts) and T1068 (Exploitation for Privilege Escalation) techniques, as attackers can leverage existing network access to escalate privileges within the system. The security controls should focus on strengthening authentication mechanisms, implementing proper authorization checks, and monitoring for unauthorized access attempts to prevent exploitation of this weakness. Additionally, regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify similar issues within the broader Oracle Fusion Middleware ecosystem.