CVE-2017-3583 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). Supported versions that are affected are 8.3, 8.4, 15.1, 15.2, 16.1 and 16.2. Easily "exploitable" vulnerability allows unauthenticated attacker with network access via HTTP to compromise Primavera P6 Enterprise Project Portfolio Management. Successful attacks require human interaction from a person other than the attacker. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized creation, deletion or modification access to critical data or all Primavera P6 Enterprise Project Portfolio Management accessible data as well as unauthorized access to critical data or complete access to all Primavera P6 Enterprise Project Portfolio Management accessible data. CVSS 3.0 Base Score 8.1 (Confidentiality and Integrity impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/20/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-3583 affects Oracle Primavera P6 Enterprise Project Portfolio Management, specifically within the Web Access subcomponent of the Primavera Products Suite. This security flaw represents a critical concern for organizations utilizing project portfolio management systems where project data integrity and confidentiality are paramount. 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 product lifecycle. The vulnerability's classification as easily exploitable means that malicious actors can leverage this weakness with minimal technical sophistication, making it particularly dangerous in environments where network exposure is inevitable.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient authentication mechanisms within the web access interface of Primavera P6. Attackers can exploit this weakness through unauthenticated HTTP network connections, bypassing traditional access controls that should normally protect sensitive project data. The CVSS 3.0 score of 8.1 reflects the high severity of this flaw, with both confidentiality and integrity impacts rated as high. The vector analysis reveals that network-based attacks require low attack complexity and no privilege requirements, while user interaction is necessary for successful exploitation. This suggests that the vulnerability likely involves some form of social engineering or user manipulation component that complements the technical exploitation vector, making it even more insidious in real-world scenarios.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple data exposure, encompassing complete unauthorized access to all accessible data within the Primavera P6 environment. Successful exploitation allows attackers to create, delete, or modify critical project data without proper authorization, potentially causing significant disruption to project management operations and business continuity. The compromise of project portfolio data can lead to financial losses, regulatory compliance issues, and damage to organizational reputation. Organizations relying on Primavera P6 for mission-critical project planning and resource allocation face substantial risk if this vulnerability remains unpatched, as attackers could manipulate project timelines, budgets, and resource assignments to achieve their objectives.
Security professionals should consider this vulnerability in relation to CWE-287, which addresses improper authentication issues, and align it with ATT&CK techniques involving credential access and privilege escalation. The requirement for human interaction suggests potential social engineering elements that may be leveraged through phishing or other manipulation tactics. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including network segmentation to limit access to the affected web interfaces, deployment of web application firewalls, and implementation of strong access controls. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify similar weaknesses in related systems, while incident response procedures should be updated to address potential exploitation of this vulnerability. The remediation process requires careful planning to ensure that patch deployment does not disrupt critical project management workflows while maintaining the integrity of the organization's project portfolio data management systems.