CVE-2018-2691 in E-Business Suite
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the Oracle User Management component of Oracle E-Business Suite (subcomponent: Proxy User Delegation). Supported versions that are affected are 12.1.3, 12.2.3, 12.2.4, 12.2.5, 12.2.6 and 12.2.7. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows low privileged attacker with network access via HTTP to compromise Oracle User Management. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized update, insert or delete access to some of Oracle User Management accessible data as well as unauthorized read access to a subset of Oracle User Management accessible data. CVSS 3.0 Base Score 5.4 (Confidentiality and Integrity impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/30/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-2691 resides within the Oracle User Management component of Oracle E-Business Suite, specifically within the Proxy User Delegation subcomponent. This flaw affects multiple version streams including 12.1.3, 12.2.3, 12.2.4, 12.2.5, 12.2.6, and 12.2.7, representing a significant attack surface across the Oracle E-Business Suite ecosystem. The vulnerability operates at the intersection of network-based attacks and user privilege escalation, creating a dangerous combination that can be exploited by adversaries with minimal technical expertise.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate authorization controls within the proxy user delegation mechanism, allowing attackers to bypass normal access restrictions. This flaw manifests as a weakness in the authentication and authorization framework where low-privileged users can leverage HTTP network access to perform unauthorized operations against the Oracle User Management system. The vulnerability's classification as easily exploitable indicates that the attack vector requires minimal sophistication and can be executed through standard network-based exploitation techniques.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates a substantial risk profile for organizations utilizing affected Oracle E-Business Suite versions. Attackers can achieve unauthorized update, insert, or delete operations against sensitive user management data, potentially compromising the integrity of user access controls and system configurations. Additionally, the vulnerability enables unauthorized read access to specific subsets of Oracle User Management data, creating potential exposure of sensitive user information and system configurations. The CVSS 3.0 score of 5.4 reflects the moderate severity of impact, with confidentiality and integrity being the primary affected aspects.
The vulnerability's characteristics align with CWE-284, which addresses improper access control issues, and demonstrates how proxy delegation mechanisms can introduce security gaps when not properly validated. Organizations should consider this vulnerability in the context of ATT&CK framework's privilege escalation techniques, where attackers can leverage network-based access to gain expanded system privileges. The attack vector AV:N indicates network accessibility, while the low privilege requirement PR:L suggests that even basic user accounts can exploit this weakness, making the attack surface particularly concerning for enterprise environments.
Mitigation strategies should include immediate patch application for affected Oracle E-Business Suite versions, implementation of network segmentation to restrict access to the vulnerable components, and enhanced monitoring of user management activities. Organizations should also consider disabling proxy user delegation functionality where possible and implementing additional authentication controls to reduce the attack surface. Regular security assessments of Oracle E-Business Suite installations remain critical for identifying similar authorization gaps that could be exploited by adversaries seeking to compromise user management systems.