CVE-2018-2454 in Enterprise Financial Services
Summary
by MITRE
SAP Enterprise Financial Services, versions 6.05, 6.06, 6.16, 6.17, 6.18, 8.0 (in business function EAFS_BCA_BUSOPR_2) does not perform necessary authorization checks for an authenticated user, resulting in escalation of privileges.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/22/2020
SAP Enterprise Financial Services represents a critical financial management platform that handles sensitive corporate accounting and financial operations across global enterprises. The vulnerability identified in CVE-2018-2454 affects specific versions including 6.05, 6.06, 6.16, 6.17, 6.18, and 8.0, particularly within the EAFS_BCA_BUSOPR_2 business function. This flaw constitutes a serious authorization bypass issue that undermines the fundamental security controls designed to protect financial data and operational integrity. The vulnerability exists in the authorization checking mechanisms that should prevent unauthorized access to sensitive financial functions and data processing capabilities.
The technical flaw manifests as the absence of proper authorization validation within the specified business function, allowing authenticated users to escalate their privileges beyond their intended access levels. This authorization gap enables attackers who have gained initial access to the system to perform operations that should require higher-level permissions. The vulnerability specifically impacts the EAFS_BCA_BUSOPR_2 business function, which likely handles core financial business operations and processing activities. The flaw represents a direct violation of the principle of least privilege and demonstrates inadequate access control implementation within the SAP financial services module.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation to encompass potential financial data compromise and unauthorized financial transactions. An attacker exploiting this vulnerability could access sensitive financial information, modify accounting records, manipulate financial reports, and potentially execute fraudulent financial operations. The business function in question likely processes critical financial data that requires strict access controls and audit trails, making this authorization bypass particularly dangerous for enterprise financial integrity. Organizations relying on these SAP versions face significant risk of financial loss, regulatory non-compliance, and reputational damage if this vulnerability is exploited.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which addresses improper access control issues in software systems. The flaw demonstrates inadequate authorization checking mechanisms that should have been implemented to protect sensitive financial operations within SAP Enterprise Financial Services. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to privilege escalation techniques and credential access patterns, enabling adversaries to move laterally within financial systems and gain unauthorized access to critical business functions. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying SAP security patches, reviewing user access controls, and strengthening monitoring of financial transaction activities to detect unauthorized privilege usage.
The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper authorization design in enterprise financial systems and underscores the critical need for comprehensive security testing of business functions. SAP released patches to address this issue, and organizations should prioritize applying these updates to prevent exploitation. The flaw also emphasizes the necessity of regular security assessments and access control reviews in financial systems, particularly those handling sensitive corporate data and financial transactions. Proper implementation of authorization checks within business functions remains essential for maintaining the integrity and security of enterprise financial management platforms.