CVE-2018-2683 in Hospitality Simphony
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the Oracle Hospitality Simphony component of Oracle Hospitality Applications (subcomponent: POS). Supported versions that are affected are 2.7, 2.8 and 2.9. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows unauthenticated attacker with network access via HTTP to compromise Oracle Hospitality Simphony. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized ability to cause a hang or frequently repeatable crash (complete DOS) of Oracle Hospitality Simphony. CVSS 3.0 Base Score 7.5 (Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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-2018-2683 resides within the Oracle Hospitality Simphony component, specifically within the Point of Sale subcomponent of Oracle Hospitality Applications. This flaw affects versions 2.7, 2.8, and 2.9, representing a significant security concern for hospitality businesses that rely on this system for their operations. The vulnerability operates at the network level and presents itself as an easily exploitable weakness that does not require any authentication credentials from the attacker, making it particularly dangerous in environments where network access is not properly restricted.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and access control mechanisms within the HTTP interface of the POS system. Attackers can leverage this weakness to send malicious requests to the affected system without requiring any prior authentication or authorization. The flaw manifests as a complete denial of service condition that can either cause the system to hang indefinitely or repeatedly crash, effectively rendering the point of sale functionality unavailable to legitimate users. This type of vulnerability aligns with CWE-20, which addresses "Improper Input Validation" and represents a classic example of how inadequate security controls at the application layer can lead to system-wide operational failures.
The operational impact of CVE-2018-2683 extends far beyond simple system unavailability, as it directly affects business continuity and customer service delivery within hospitality environments. When a point of sale system becomes unavailable due to this vulnerability, businesses face immediate revenue loss, customer dissatisfaction, and potential operational chaos during peak business hours. The CVSS 3.0 scoring of 7.5 reflects the high availability impact, with the vector indicating network access (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), no required privileges (PR:N), and no user interaction (UI:N). This assessment places the vulnerability in the high-risk category, particularly when considering that the attack can be executed without any authentication requirements, making it accessible to anyone with network access to the affected system.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement network segmentation and access controls to restrict unauthorized access to the affected system. The recommended mitigation strategies include applying the official Oracle patches and updates, implementing proper firewall rules to limit HTTP access to authorized administrative networks, and conducting thorough network monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1499.004, which covers "Endpoint Denial of Service" and represents a clear example of how network-based attacks can leverage application layer weaknesses to achieve system compromise. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing intrusion detection systems to monitor for unusual HTTP traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, and establish incident response procedures specifically designed to address denial of service conditions in critical business systems.