CVE-2018-2865 in E-Business Suite
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the Oracle General Ledger component of Oracle E-Business Suite (subcomponent: Consolidation Hierarchy Viewer). Supported versions that are affected are 12.1.1, 12.1.2, 12.1.3, 12.2.3, 12.2.4, 12.2.5, 12.2.6 and 12.2.7. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows unauthenticated attacker with network access via HTTP to compromise Oracle General Ledger. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized read access to a subset of Oracle General Ledger accessible data. CVSS 3.0 Base Score 5.3 (Confidentiality impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/28/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-2865 resides within the Oracle General Ledger component of Oracle E-Business Suite, specifically within the Consolidation Hierarchy Viewer subcomponent. This flaw represents a significant security weakness that affects multiple versions of the Oracle E-Business Suite including 12.1.1, 12.1.2, 12.1.3, 12.2.3, 12.2.4, 12.2.5, 12.2.6, and 12.2.7. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and demonstrates characteristics that make it particularly dangerous for organizations relying on Oracle financial systems for their core business operations. The affected component serves as a critical interface for financial consolidation activities, making it a prime target for adversaries seeking to access sensitive financial data.
This vulnerability manifests as an authentication bypass issue that allows unauthenticated attackers to access the Consolidation Hierarchy Viewer functionality through HTTP network connections. The technical flaw essentially permits attackers to bypass the normal authentication mechanisms that should protect access to financial consolidation data, creating a direct pathway to sensitive financial information. The vulnerability's classification as easily exploitable indicates that the attack vector requires minimal technical expertise or resources to execute successfully, making it particularly concerning for enterprise environments where such systems may be exposed to external network traffic. The CVSS 3.0 scoring of 5.3 reflects the moderate severity of the confidentiality impact, with a base score that emphasizes the potential for unauthorized data access without requiring privileged access or user interaction.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data exposure, as it enables unauthorized read access to a subset of Oracle General Ledger data that organizations consider sensitive and confidential. Financial consolidation hierarchies typically contain critical business information including account structures, reporting relationships, and financial consolidation data that could be exploited for competitive advantage or fraudulent activities. The attack scenario involves an unauthenticated network-based attacker who can directly access the Consolidation Hierarchy Viewer through HTTP connections, potentially gaining insights into organizational financial structures, reporting relationships, and consolidation methodologies. This access could enable attackers to understand the financial reporting processes and potentially identify additional vulnerabilities within the broader Oracle E-Business Suite environment. Organizations using affected versions may face regulatory compliance issues if sensitive financial data is compromised through this vulnerability.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including network segmentation to restrict access to Oracle E-Business Suite components, deployment of web application firewalls to monitor and filter HTTP traffic, and implementation of strict access controls for the Consolidation Hierarchy Viewer functionality. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-287 which addresses improper authentication issues in software applications, and represents a clear violation of the principle of least privilege in system security. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving initial access through network services and privilege escalation through unauthorized data access, potentially enabling more sophisticated attacks. Organizations should prioritize patching affected systems according to Oracle's security bulletins and consider implementing additional monitoring for unusual access patterns to financial consolidation components. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and the potential consequences of running unsupported or outdated versions of enterprise software systems.