CVE-2018-2833 in Hospitality Simphony
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the Oracle Hospitality Simphony component of Oracle Hospitality Applications (subcomponent: Enterprise Management Console). Supported versions that are affected are 2.7, 2.8, 2.9 and 2.10. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows low privileged attacker with network access via HTTP to compromise Oracle Hospitality Simphony. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized creation, deletion or modification access to critical data or all Oracle Hospitality Simphony accessible data as well as unauthorized access to critical data or complete access to all Oracle Hospitality Simphony 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 • 03/02/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-2833 resides within the Oracle Hospitality Simphony platform's Enterprise Management Console component, representing a critical security flaw that affects versions 2.7 through 2.10. This vulnerability operates at the application layer and specifically targets the enterprise management console functionality that serves as a central control point for hospitality operations management. The affected system architecture exposes a path where unauthorized network-based attacks can exploit insufficient access controls and authentication mechanisms, making it particularly dangerous for hospitality environments that handle sensitive guest data, financial transactions, and operational critical information.
This vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and insufficient authorization checks within the Enterprise Management Console, creating a pathway for low-privileged attackers to escalate their privileges and gain unauthorized access to critical system resources. The flaw manifests as a lack of proper access control enforcement mechanisms that should validate user permissions before granting access to administrative functions. According to CWE classification, this vulnerability maps to CWE-284: Improper Access Control, which specifically addresses insufficient access control mechanisms that allow unauthorized users to access protected resources. The attack vector requires only network connectivity via HTTP, making exploitation relatively straightforward and accessible to attackers who may not possess advanced technical skills.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft, as successful exploitation can result in complete compromise of the hospitality management system. Attackers can create, delete, or modify critical data within the Oracle Hospitality Simphony environment, potentially disrupting business operations, compromising guest privacy, and causing financial losses. The CVSS 3.0 score of 8.1 reflects the high severity of this flaw, with both confidentiality and integrity impacts rated as high, indicating that unauthorized users could access all accessible data or modify critical system information. The vulnerability affects the entire scope of data accessible through the platform, including guest information, reservation data, financial records, and operational management details that form the backbone of hospitality operations.
Organizations utilizing affected Oracle Hospitality Simphony versions face significant risk exposure from this vulnerability, as it provides attackers with extensive access to business-critical systems without requiring elevated privileges. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that hospitality environments typically store vast amounts of personal and financial information that must comply with various regulatory requirements including pci dss, gdpr, and other data protection standards. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability aligns with techniques such as T1078: Valid Accounts and T1484: Group Policy Modification, as attackers can leverage legitimate access to escalate privileges and manipulate system configurations. The lack of user interaction requirement (UI:N) and low attack complexity (AC:L) makes this vulnerability particularly dangerous as it can be exploited automatically without requiring user deception or specialized tools.
Mitigation strategies should prioritize immediate patch deployment for all affected Oracle Hospitality Simphony versions, as Oracle would have released security updates addressing this specific access control flaw. Organizations should implement network segmentation to isolate the Enterprise Management Console from general network access, deploy web application firewalls to monitor and filter HTTP traffic, and conduct thorough access control reviews to ensure proper privilege enforcement. Additionally, security monitoring should be enhanced to detect anomalous access patterns and unauthorized modifications to critical system data. Regular vulnerability assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar access control weaknesses in other components of the hospitality management infrastructure, ensuring comprehensive protection against similar exploitation vectors that may exist in interconnected systems.