CVE-2018-2626 in Financial Services Balance Sheet Planning
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the Oracle Financial Services Balance Sheet Planning component of Oracle Financial Services Applications (subcomponent: User Interface). The supported version that is affected is 8.0.x. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows unauthenticated attacker with network access via HTTP to compromise Oracle Financial Services Balance Sheet Planning. Successful attacks require human interaction from a person other than the attacker and while the vulnerability is in Oracle Financial Services Balance Sheet Planning, attacks may significantly impact additional products. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized update, insert or delete access to some of Oracle Financial Services Balance Sheet Planning accessible data as well as unauthorized read access to a subset of Oracle Financial Services Balance Sheet Planning accessible data. CVSS 3.0 Base Score 6.1 (Confidentiality and Integrity impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/30/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-2626 resides within the Oracle Financial Services Balance Sheet Planning component of Oracle Financial Services Applications, specifically affecting version 8.0.x. This represents a critical security flaw that manifests through the User Interface subcomponent, creating a significant attack surface for malicious actors. The vulnerability's classification as easily exploitable indicates that attackers can leverage relatively simple methods to compromise the system, making it particularly dangerous in production environments where financial data integrity is paramount. The attack vector requires only network access via HTTP, eliminating the need for sophisticated network infiltration techniques or privileged access within the organization's infrastructure.
This vulnerability operates through an authentication bypass mechanism that allows unauthenticated attackers to exploit the system's user interface components. The flaw's impact extends beyond the immediate component, potentially affecting additional Oracle Financial Services products within the same ecosystem. The security implications are particularly severe because the vulnerability requires human interaction from individuals other than the attacker, suggesting that social engineering or targeted phishing campaigns could be employed to facilitate exploitation. The attack scenario typically involves an unsuspecting user performing actions that inadvertently trigger the vulnerability, creating a sophisticated attack chain that leverages both technical flaws and human factors.
The technical impact of this vulnerability manifests through unauthorized access capabilities that permit attackers to modify or delete sensitive financial data within the balance sheet planning system. The CVSS 3.0 base score of 6.1 reflects the moderate severity of the compromise, with particular emphasis on confidentiality and integrity impacts. Attackers can achieve unauthorized update, insert, or delete operations against specific data sets within the Oracle Financial Services Balance Sheet Planning system, while also gaining read access to subsets of sensitive financial information. This dual capability creates substantial risk for financial institutions that rely on accurate balance sheet data for regulatory compliance, financial reporting, and operational decision-making processes. The vulnerability's classification under CWE-287 (Improper Handling of Authentication Errors) and its alignment with ATT&CK technique T1190 (Exploit Public-Facing Application) demonstrates its fundamental nature as an authentication bypass vulnerability that can be exploited through publicly accessible interfaces.
Organizations must implement comprehensive mitigation strategies to address this vulnerability effectively. Immediate patching of affected systems represents the primary remediation approach, as Oracle has released security updates to resolve the authentication bypass issue. Network segmentation and access controls should be enhanced to limit exposure of the affected components to unauthorized users, while monitoring systems should be configured to detect anomalous access patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability's impact on additional products within the Oracle Financial Services ecosystem necessitates a broader security assessment to identify potential cascading effects throughout the organization's financial applications infrastructure. Security teams should also conduct user awareness training to reduce the risk of social engineering attacks that could leverage this vulnerability, as the requirement for human interaction makes user education a critical component of the overall defense strategy.