CVE-2018-2607 in Hospitality Guest Access
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the Oracle Hospitality Guest Access component of Oracle Hospitality Applications (subcomponent: Base). The supported version that is affected is 4.2.1. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows high privileged attacker with network access via HTTP to compromise Oracle Hospitality Guest Access. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized ability to cause a hang or frequently repeatable crash (complete DOS) of Oracle Hospitality Guest Access. CVSS 3.0 Base Score 4.9 (Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/31/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-2607 resides within the Oracle Hospitality Guest Access component of Oracle Hospitality Applications, specifically within the Base subcomponent. This weakness affects version 4.2.1 of the software and represents a significant security concern for hospitality organizations relying on this platform for guest management and access control. The vulnerability falls under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-119, which encompasses weaknesses related to memory safety and buffer overflows that can lead to system instability and potential compromise. The affected system operates within a hospitality environment where guest access control is critical, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous as it could disrupt core operational functions.
The technical flaw manifests as an easily exploitable vulnerability that requires a high privileged attacker with network access via HTTP to successfully compromise the system. This attack vector indicates that the vulnerability can be exploited remotely through standard web protocols, making it accessible to attackers who can establish network connectivity to the target system. The CVSS 3.0 scoring system rates this vulnerability with a base score of 4.9, categorizing it as a medium severity issue with availability impacts. The CVSS vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H) clearly demonstrates that the attack requires no user interaction, has low complexity to exploit, demands high privileges for successful exploitation, and results in high impact on system availability. The vulnerability's classification as a complete denial of service (DOS) means that successful exploitation can cause the application to hang or repeatedly crash, effectively rendering the guest access system unusable for legitimate users.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption, as it directly affects the core functionality of hospitality guest management systems. When the Guest Access component becomes unavailable due to this vulnerability, hotel staff cannot properly manage guest access, potentially leading to security breaches, operational inefficiencies, and customer service degradation. The high availability impact (A:H) in the CVSS scoring indicates that this vulnerability can completely disable the targeted system, which is particularly concerning in hospitality environments where guest access control is essential for both security and operational management. Organizations using this software may experience significant downtime, loss of productivity, and potential security risks when this vulnerability is exploited. The vulnerability's impact on availability can cascade through the entire hospitality management system, affecting reservation systems, access control points, and guest services that depend on the Guest Access component's functionality.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the relevant Oracle security patches and updates to address this vulnerability. Network segmentation and access controls should be strengthened to limit unauthorized access to the affected system, particularly restricting HTTP access to only trusted administrative networks. Monitoring systems should be enhanced to detect unusual network traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, and intrusion detection systems should be configured to alert on potential HTTP-based attacks targeting the Guest Access component. Security teams should also conduct thorough vulnerability assessments to identify other potential weaknesses in their hospitality management systems and ensure proper network isolation of critical components. The remediation process should include comprehensive testing of patches in non-production environments before deployment to ensure that updates do not introduce compatibility issues with existing hospitality operations. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing redundant access control systems and backup procedures to maintain operational continuity in case of system compromise, as the vulnerability's potential for complete DOS makes it critical to have contingency plans in place for maintaining guest access and security functions during exploitation attempts.