CVE-2018-2616 in OSS Support Tools
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the OSS Support Tools component of Oracle Support Tools (subcomponent: Diagnostic Assistant). The supported version that is affected is Prior to 2.11.33. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows low privileged attacker with network access via HTTP to compromise OSS Support Tools. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in takeover of OSS Support Tools. CVSS 3.0 Base Score 8.8 (Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/01/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-2616 resides within Oracle Support Tools' OSS Support Tools component, specifically within the Diagnostic Assistant subcomponent. This security flaw affects versions prior to 2.11.33 and represents a critical weakness that significantly undermines the security posture of affected systems. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and exploits a fundamental flaw in how the diagnostic assistant component processes incoming requests, creating an attack surface that can be leveraged by malicious actors with minimal privileges.
The technical nature of this vulnerability manifests as an easily exploitable weakness that requires only low privilege access and network connectivity via HTTP to execute successful attacks. This characteristic places the vulnerability within the realm of CWE-20, representing a common input validation flaw where insufficient checks allow malicious data to be processed without proper sanitization. The attack vector utilizes the network protocol to deliver crafted payloads that can manipulate the diagnostic assistant's internal operations, ultimately leading to complete compromise of the OSS Support Tools environment. The CVSS 3.0 scoring system rates this vulnerability at 8.8, indicating high severity across all impact categories including confidentiality, integrity, and availability, which aligns with the ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for application layer execution.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple data compromise, as successful exploitation results in complete takeover of the affected OSS Support Tools system. This level of compromise allows attackers to gain full administrative control over the diagnostic assistant functionality, potentially enabling them to access sensitive support data, manipulate diagnostic reports, and disrupt critical support operations. The vulnerability's classification as a privilege escalation issue means that even users with minimal access rights can leverage this weakness to achieve system-level control, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where support tools often contain sensitive operational data and system information.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement the remediation measures provided by Oracle, specifically upgrading to version 2.11.33 or later where the vulnerability has been addressed. Network segmentation and access controls should be reinforced to limit unnecessary HTTP access to the diagnostic assistant component, while monitoring should be enhanced to detect potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining current software versions and implementing robust patch management processes, as this flaw could have been prevented through timely updates. Security teams should also consider implementing network-based intrusion detection systems to monitor for suspicious HTTP traffic patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts, particularly targeting the specific diagnostic assistant endpoints. The incident highlights the critical need for continuous security assessment of support and diagnostic tools that often operate with elevated privileges and contain sensitive operational information, as these components frequently represent attractive targets for attackers seeking persistent access to enterprise environments.