CVE-2018-2412 in Disclosure Management
Summary
by MITRE
SAP Disclosure Management 10.1 does not perform necessary authorization checks for an authenticated user, resulting in escalation of privileges.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/27/2023
SAP Disclosure Management 10.1 contains a critical authorization flaw that allows authenticated users to escalate their privileges without proper validation. This vulnerability resides in the application's access control mechanisms, where the system fails to enforce mandatory authorization checks during critical operations. The flaw specifically affects the privilege escalation process, enabling users who have legitimate access to the system to potentially gain elevated permissions beyond their intended role scope. This represents a fundamental breakdown in the principle of least privilege that is essential for maintaining system security boundaries.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate authorization validation within the application's security framework. When authenticated users perform certain administrative or sensitive operations, the system does not properly verify whether the user possesses the necessary permissions to execute those actions. This weakness creates a path for privilege escalation where users can bypass normal access controls and potentially access restricted functionalities or data that should only be available to administrators or users with specific clearance levels. The flaw operates at the application layer and affects the core security architecture of SAP Disclosure Management 10.1.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access, as it fundamentally compromises the integrity of the system's security model. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability could potentially access sensitive financial disclosure data, modify system configurations, or perform administrative functions that would normally be restricted. This escalation of privileges could lead to data breaches, unauthorized modifications to disclosure reports, or complete compromise of the disclosure management system. The vulnerability affects organizations that rely on SAP Disclosure Management for regulatory compliance and financial reporting, where unauthorized access to disclosure data could result in significant financial and legal consequences.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the latest SAP security patches and updates, reviewing user access controls, and conducting comprehensive security assessments of their disclosure management systems. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 which addresses improper access control issues, and may be categorized under ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and T1484 for privilege escalation. Security teams should also consider implementing additional monitoring and logging mechanisms to detect unauthorized privilege escalation attempts and establish stricter access control policies for administrative functions within the SAP environment. Regular security training for administrators and users is essential to prevent exploitation of such authorization flaws through social engineering or insider threats.