CVE-2018-2381 in ERP Financials Information System
Summary
by MITRE
SAP ERP Financials Information System (SAP_APPL 6.00, 6.02, 6.03, 6.04, 6.05, 6.06, 6.16; SAP_FIN 6.17, 6.18, 7.00, 7.20, 7.30 S4CORE 1.00, 1.01, 1.02) does not perform necessary authorization checks for an authenticated user, resulting in escalation of privileges.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/04/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-2381 affects SAP ERP Financials Information System across multiple versions including SAP_APPL 6.00 through 6.06 and 6.16, SAP_FIN 6.17 through 7.30, and S4CORE 1.00 through 1.02. This represents a critical authorization flaw that undermines the fundamental security controls of the financials system. The vulnerability stems from insufficient authorization validation mechanisms within the application's access control framework, allowing authenticated users to bypass intended security restrictions and escalate their privileges. This flaw directly violates the principle of least privilege and can potentially enable unauthorized access to sensitive financial data and system functionalities.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs when the system fails to properly validate user permissions during critical financial operations. An authenticated user who should only have read-only access to certain financial modules could potentially gain administrative privileges or access to restricted financial transactions and data. This authorization bypass typically manifests when the system does not adequately verify user credentials against defined permission sets during sensitive operations such as financial postings, data modifications, or system configuration changes. The flaw exists in the authorization check logic where the system assumes that authenticated users have appropriate access rights without performing additional validation steps.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe for organizations relying on SAP ERP Financials systems for their core financial operations. An attacker exploiting this vulnerability could potentially manipulate financial records, create unauthorized transactions, access confidential financial data, or gain administrative access to the financials module. This privilege escalation capability directly threatens the integrity and confidentiality of financial information, potentially leading to significant financial losses, regulatory violations, and compliance breaches. Organizations may face audit failures, legal consequences, and reputational damage if such unauthorized access occurs. The vulnerability affects the core financial data processing capabilities of SAP systems, making it particularly dangerous for enterprises that depend on accurate financial reporting and compliance.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-2381 should include immediate implementation of SAP security patches and updates provided by SAP to address the authorization validation flaw. Organizations should conduct comprehensive access control reviews and implement proper role-based access controls to minimize the impact of potential privilege escalation. Network segmentation and monitoring of financial system access should be enhanced to detect unusual access patterns or unauthorized privilege attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 which describes improper access control, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and T1484 for cloud service account manipulation. Regular security assessments and penetration testing of SAP environments should be conducted to identify similar authorization gaps, while maintaining detailed audit logs of all financial transactions and access attempts to support forensic analysis and compliance requirements.