CVE-2018-2621 in Hospitality Cruise Shipboard Property Management System
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the Oracle Hospitality Cruise Shipboard Property Management System component of Oracle Hospitality Applications (subcomponent: Mobile Gangway and Mustering). The supported version that is affected is 7.3.874. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows unauthenticated attacker with network access via HTTP to compromise Oracle Hospitality Cruise Shipboard Property Management System. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized access to critical data or complete access to all Oracle Hospitality Cruise Shipboard Property Management System accessible data as well as unauthorized update, insert or delete access to some of Oracle Hospitality Cruise Shipboard Property Management System accessible data. CVSS 3.0 Base Score 8.2 (Confidentiality and Integrity impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:N).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/31/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-2621 resides within the Oracle Hospitality Cruise Shipboard Property Management System, specifically affecting the Mobile Gangway and Mustering subcomponent. This critical flaw exists in version 7.3.874 of the Oracle Hospitality Applications suite, which is widely deployed across cruise ship operations for managing property management functions. The vulnerability represents a significant security weakness that directly impacts the operational integrity of maritime hospitality systems where passenger safety and data confidentiality are paramount. The affected system serves as a critical infrastructure component for cruise ship operations, managing passenger boarding processes, safety protocols, and property management data that directly relates to guest information and operational procedures.
This vulnerability manifests as an authentication bypass issue that allows attackers to exploit the system without requiring valid credentials or access tokens. The flaw operates through the HTTP protocol interface, making it accessible to any attacker with network connectivity to the affected system. The CVSS 3.0 scoring of 8.2 reflects the high severity of this weakness, with a base score indicating high confidentiality impact and low integrity impact, suggesting that while the primary concern is unauthorized data access rather than data modification, the potential for data exposure remains extremely serious. The vulnerability's exploitability is classified as easily exploitable, meaning that an attacker requires minimal technical expertise or resources to successfully compromise the system. The attack vector is network-based, requiring only that the attacker can establish communication with the system over HTTP, which is typically exposed to external networks in cruise ship environments.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access to encompass complete compromise of sensitive passenger and operational data. Successful exploitation can lead to unauthorized access to critical data including passenger manifests, safety protocols, and property management information that could be used for identity theft, fraud, or disruption of safety procedures. The vulnerability also permits unauthorized update, insert, or delete operations on certain system data, creating potential for data corruption or manipulation that could directly impact passenger safety and operational procedures. This represents a significant risk to cruise ship operations where accurate passenger data and safety protocols are essential for regulatory compliance and guest welfare. The potential for this vulnerability to be exploited by threat actors who may have access to the network infrastructure of cruise ships makes it particularly concerning for maritime security operations.
The attack surface for this vulnerability aligns with the ATT&CK framework's initial access and credential access tactics, specifically targeting the system's authentication mechanisms through network-based exploitation. This vulnerability directly maps to CWE-287 which addresses improper authentication issues in software systems, and represents a classic case of weak session management or missing authentication checks in web applications. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including network segmentation to isolate the affected systems from general network access, deployment of web application firewalls to monitor and filter HTTP traffic, and implementation of robust network access controls. The recommended approach includes disabling unnecessary HTTP services, implementing strong authentication mechanisms, and conducting comprehensive network monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing network intrusion detection systems and regular security assessments to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities in their maritime hospitality infrastructure, given the critical nature of cruise ship property management systems and their potential impact on passenger safety and operational integrity.