CVE-2017-3602 in WebCenter Sites
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the Oracle WebCenter Sites component of Oracle Fusion Middleware (subcomponent: Advanced UI). 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-2017-3602 resides within Oracle WebCenter Sites, a component of Oracle Fusion Middleware that provides advanced user interface capabilities for content management and web publishing. This specific flaw affects multiple supported versions including 11.1.1.8.0, 12.2.1.0.0, 12.2.1.1.0, and 12.2.1.2.0, representing a significant attack surface across different release lines of the Oracle Fusion Middleware ecosystem. The vulnerability operates within the Advanced UI subcomponent, which handles user interface rendering and interaction components that are critical for content management operations.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate access controls and authentication mechanisms within the WebCenter Sites Advanced UI framework. Attackers with low privileges and network access via HTTP can exploit this weakness to gain unauthorized access to sensitive data and operations within the system. The CVSS 3.0 score of 8.1 reflects the severity of impact, with high confidentiality and integrity implications, indicating that successful exploitation could allow attackers to create, delete, or modify critical data within the Oracle WebCenter Sites environment. The vulnerability's classification as easily exploitable means that minimal technical expertise or resources are required to leverage this weakness effectively.
From an operational perspective, the impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data compromise to encompass complete unauthorized access to all data accessible through Oracle WebCenter Sites. This represents a critical security gap that could enable attackers to manipulate content, modify user permissions, or extract sensitive information from the web content management system. The vulnerability affects both the integrity and confidentiality of the system, with potential for unauthorized data modification and complete data access. Organizations relying on Oracle WebCenter Sites for content management, digital asset management, or web publishing operations face significant risk from this vulnerability, particularly in environments where multiple users have varying levels of access privileges.
The attack vector for this vulnerability is network-based HTTP access, making it particularly dangerous in environments where the WebCenter Sites application is exposed to external networks or where internal network segmentation is insufficient. This allows attackers to potentially exploit the vulnerability from remote locations without requiring physical access to the system or elevated privileges initially. The CVSS vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N) indicates that network access is required, the attack complexity is low, the privilege requirement is low, and there is no user interaction needed, while the scope remains unchanging, meaning the impact is contained to the affected system rather than extending to other systems. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying Oracle's security patches, implementing network segmentation, and monitoring for suspicious HTTP traffic patterns to protect against exploitation of this vulnerability.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 (Improper Access Control) and maps to ATT&CK technique T1078 (Valid Accounts) and T1046 (Network Service Scanning) as attackers would typically leverage valid network access to probe and exploit such access control weaknesses. The CVSS scoring reflects the high potential impact on business operations, particularly for organizations that depend heavily on content management systems for their digital presence and customer-facing applications. Organizations should prioritize patch management and security monitoring to address this vulnerability effectively, as the consequences of successful exploitation could include complete compromise of content management systems and potential data breaches affecting sensitive organizational information.