CVE-2018-2720 in Financial Services Liquidity Risk Management
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the Oracle Financial Services Liquidity Risk Management component of Oracle Financial Services Applications (subcomponent: User Interface). The supported version that is affected is 8.0.x. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows low privileged attacker with network access via HTTP to compromise Oracle Financial Services Liquidity Risk Management. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized creation, deletion or modification access to critical data or all Oracle Financial Services Liquidity Risk Management accessible data as well as unauthorized access to critical data or complete access to all Oracle Financial Services Liquidity Risk Management accessible data. CVSS 3.0 Base Score 8.1 (Confidentiality and Integrity impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/30/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-2720 resides within the Oracle Financial Services Liquidity Risk Management component, specifically affecting the User Interface subcomponent of Oracle Financial Services Applications. This security flaw impacts version 8.0.x of the software suite, representing a significant concern for financial institutions relying on this platform for critical risk management operations. The vulnerability's classification as easily exploitable indicates that attackers with minimal privileges and network access can potentially compromise the system, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where financial data integrity is paramount. The affected component serves as a critical interface for liquidity risk management activities, making any compromise potentially devastating to an organization's financial operations and regulatory compliance posture.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient access controls within the user interface layer, allowing low-privileged attackers to bypass authentication mechanisms and gain unauthorized access to sensitive financial data. This flaw operates through HTTP network connections, eliminating the need for physical access or advanced exploitation techniques. The vulnerability's CVSS 3.0 score of 8.1 reflects the high severity of both confidentiality and integrity impacts, indicating that successful exploitation could lead to complete data compromise. Attackers could potentially create, delete, or modify critical financial data, while also gaining unauthorized access to all accessible data within the liquidity risk management system. The low attack complexity and lack of user interaction requirements make this vulnerability particularly dangerous as it can be exploited automatically without requiring user engagement or specialized knowledge beyond basic network access.
The operational impact of CVE-2018-2720 extends far beyond simple data theft, as it compromises the fundamental integrity of financial risk management processes that organizations depend upon for regulatory compliance and operational stability. Financial institutions utilizing Oracle Financial Services Liquidity Risk Management could face severe consequences including unauthorized financial transactions, manipulation of risk metrics, and potential regulatory violations that could result in substantial financial penalties and reputational damage. The vulnerability's ability to affect both data modification and complete data access means that attackers could not only steal sensitive financial information but also alter risk calculations that directly impact capital adequacy ratios, liquidity coverage ratios, and other critical financial metrics. Organizations may experience cascading effects throughout their risk management framework, potentially leading to incorrect decision-making based on compromised data and undermining the entire financial stability foundation of the institution.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the relevant Oracle security patches and updates to address the vulnerability in the affected 8.0.x versions of Oracle Financial Services Applications. Network segmentation and access control measures should be strengthened to limit HTTP access to the affected components, while implementing robust monitoring and logging mechanisms to detect unauthorized access attempts. Security teams should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify all instances of the affected software within their environment and ensure proper patch management processes are in place. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 (Improper Access Control) and represents a clear violation of the principle of least privilege, as outlined in various cybersecurity frameworks including NIST SP 800-53 and ISO 27001 standards. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving privilege escalation and credential access, specifically targeting the T1078 (Valid Accounts) and T1068 (Exploitation for Privilege Escalation) tactics, demonstrating how seemingly minor access control flaws can enable significant lateral movement and data compromise within financial systems.