CVE-2018-2715 in Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition component of Oracle Fusion Middleware (subcomponent: BI Platform Security). Supported versions that are affected are 12.2.1.2.0 and 12.2.1.3.0. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows low privileged attacker with network access via HTTP to compromise Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized access to critical data or complete access to all Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition accessible data. CVSS 3.0 Base Score 6.5 (Confidentiality impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/30/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-2715 resides within Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition's BI Platform Security subcomponent of Oracle Fusion Middleware. This security flaw affects specifically version 12.2.1.2.0 and 12.2.1.3.0, representing a significant risk to organizations utilizing these middleware implementations. The vulnerability operates at the intersection of network-based attack vectors and insufficient authentication mechanisms, creating a pathway for malicious actors to exploit the system's security controls. The affected component's role in enterprise business intelligence platforms makes this vulnerability particularly dangerous as it can potentially provide access to sensitive organizational data and business insights.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate access controls within the BI Platform Security framework, allowing attackers with minimal privileges to escalate their access and compromise the entire system. The CVSS 3.0 score of 6.5 indicates a medium severity threat with high confidentiality impact, suggesting that successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized access to critical business data. The vulnerability's exploitability requires only network access via HTTP, making it particularly dangerous as it can be triggered from remote locations without requiring physical access or elevated privileges. The low attack complexity and lack of user interaction requirements further amplify the threat surface, as attackers can leverage automated tools to probe and exploit this weakness.
The operational impact of CVE-2018-2715 extends beyond simple data theft, potentially enabling complete system compromise and unauthorized access to all accessible data within the Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition environment. Organizations relying on these platforms for business intelligence, reporting, and analytics may face severe consequences including intellectual property theft, competitive disadvantage, and regulatory compliance violations. The vulnerability's ability to affect critical data access means that business operations depending on accurate and secure BI platforms could be severely disrupted, potentially leading to financial losses and reputational damage. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that Oracle Fusion Middleware solutions are widely deployed across enterprise environments, increasing the potential impact of this vulnerability.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-2715 should prioritize immediate patch application from Oracle, as this represents the most effective defense against the vulnerability. Organizations must also implement network segmentation to limit access to BI platforms and establish robust monitoring protocols to detect unauthorized access attempts. The implementation of network access controls and firewall rules can help restrict HTTP access to authorized personnel only, while regular security audits should verify that access controls remain properly configured. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing intrusion detection systems and security information event management solutions to identify potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability's classification under CWE categories related to insufficient access control and weak authentication mechanisms underscores the need for comprehensive security hardening practices that address both the immediate patch requirements and long-term security posture improvements. Organizations should also review their incident response procedures to ensure readiness for potential exploitation events and maintain detailed logging of all access attempts to critical BI platform components.