CVE-2018-2738 in Retail Central Office
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the Oracle Retail Central Office component of Oracle Retail Applications (subcomponent: Security). Supported versions that are affected are 13.4.9, 14.0.4 and 14.1.3. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows unauthenticated attacker with network access via HTTP to compromise Oracle Retail Central Office. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized update, insert or delete access to some of Oracle Retail Central Office accessible data as well as unauthorized read access to a subset of Oracle Retail Central Office accessible data. CVSS 3.0 Base Score 6.5 (Confidentiality and Integrity impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/03/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-2738 resides within Oracle Retail Central Office, a critical component of Oracle Retail Applications that governs core retail operations and security protocols. This flaw specifically affects versions 13.4.9, 14.0.4, and 14.1.3, representing a significant security gap that enables attackers to compromise the system without requiring authentication credentials. The vulnerability operates through the HTTP protocol, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited over standard network connections without the need for specialized access privileges or prior system compromise. The CVSS 3.0 scoring of 6.5 reflects the moderate to high severity of this weakness, with scores of 6.5 for both confidentiality and integrity impacts, indicating substantial risk to data security and system integrity.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate authentication mechanisms within the Oracle Retail Central Office security framework, allowing unauthenticated attackers to execute malicious operations against the system. Attackers can leverage this weakness to perform unauthorized data manipulation activities including updates, inserts, and deletes on sensitive retail data. Additionally, the vulnerability enables read access to specific subsets of data that should otherwise remain protected, creating potential exposure of confidential business information, customer data, or operational details. The attack vector requires only network access via HTTP, making it easily exploitable by threat actors who may not possess privileged credentials or physical access to the system infrastructure.
The operational impact of CVE-2018-2738 extends beyond simple data compromise, potentially affecting the entire retail ecosystem managed by Oracle Retail Central Office. Successful exploitation could lead to financial losses through unauthorized transactions, data corruption that disrupts business operations, or exposure of sensitive customer information that could result in regulatory compliance violations and reputational damage. The vulnerability's ability to affect both integrity and confidentiality aspects means that attackers could simultaneously modify critical business data while accessing confidential information, creating a dual threat that compounds the overall risk to the organization. Organizations utilizing affected versions face significant exposure, particularly in environments where retail data processing and security are paramount to business continuity.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should prioritize immediate patching of affected Oracle Retail Central Office installations to the latest supported versions that address the authentication weakness. Organizations should implement network segmentation and access controls to limit HTTP access to the affected system, while deploying intrusion detection systems to monitor for suspicious network activity. Security teams should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify all instances of the affected software versions and establish monitoring protocols for unauthorized access attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-287, which addresses improper authentication issues, and falls under ATT&CK technique T1190 for exploiting vulnerabilities in software applications. Organizations should also consider implementing additional security controls such as web application firewalls, network access controls, and regular security audits to prevent exploitation of similar vulnerabilities in the broader Oracle Retail Applications ecosystem.