CVE-2018-2713 in WebCenter Portal
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the Oracle WebCenter Portal component of Oracle Fusion Middleware (subcomponent: WebCenter Spaces Application). Supported versions that are affected are 11.1.1.9.0, 12.2.1.2.0 and 12.2.1.3.0. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows unauthenticated attacker with network access via HTTP to compromise Oracle WebCenter Portal. Successful attacks require human interaction from a person other than the attacker and while the vulnerability is in Oracle WebCenter Portal, attacks may significantly impact additional products. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized creation, deletion or modification access to critical data or all Oracle WebCenter Portal accessible data as well as unauthorized read access to a subset of Oracle WebCenter Portal 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:R/S:C/C:L/I:H/A:N).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/30/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-2713 resides within Oracle WebCenter Portal component of Oracle Fusion Middleware, specifically affecting the WebCenter Spaces Application subcomponent. This critical security flaw impacts multiple version streams including 11.1.1.9.0, 12.2.1.2.0, and 12.2.1.3.0, representing a significant attack surface for malicious actors targeting enterprise content management systems. The vulnerability's classification as easily exploitable indicates that attackers require minimal technical expertise to leverage this weakness effectively.
The technical implementation flaw manifests through an authentication bypass mechanism that allows unauthenticated network access via HTTP protocols. This vulnerability operates at the application layer where proper access controls fail to validate user credentials before granting system access. The attack vector requires network connectivity from external sources, making it particularly dangerous in environments where web applications are exposed to untrusted networks. According to the CVSS 3.0 scoring system, this vulnerability demonstrates a base score of 8.2, reflecting high severity with specific impacts including confidentiality and integrity compromise.
The operational impact of CVE-2018-2713 extends beyond the immediate WebCenter Portal environment, potentially affecting interconnected systems within the Oracle Fusion Middleware ecosystem. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability to perform unauthorized modifications to critical data repositories, including creation, deletion, and modification operations across all accessible portal data. Additionally, the vulnerability enables unauthorized read access to sensitive information, creating potential data exfiltration opportunities. The requirement for human interaction from users other than the attacker suggests that social engineering or targeted phishing campaigns may be necessary to initiate successful exploitation, though the underlying vulnerability remains exploitable without authentication.
Security professionals should consider this vulnerability in the context of the Common Weakness Enumeration framework, where it aligns with CWE-287 which addresses improper authentication mechanisms. The attack pattern demonstrates characteristics consistent with the ATT&CK framework's privilege escalation and credential access techniques, particularly focusing on the initial access phase where attackers establish footholds within target environments. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including network segmentation, firewall rule restrictions, and application-level access controls to prevent unauthorized HTTP access to WebCenter Portal components. The vulnerability's classification as a critical security flaw necessitates urgent patch management and configuration hardening measures to protect enterprise data assets from potential compromise.