CVE-2018-2873 in E-Business Suite
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the Oracle General Ledger component of Oracle E-Business Suite (subcomponent: Account Hierarchy Manager). 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 described in CVE-2018-2873 represents a significant security weakness within Oracle E-Business Suite's General Ledger component, specifically within the Account Hierarchy Manager subcomponent. This flaw 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, indicating a widespread impact across the product's lifecycle. The vulnerability's classification as easily exploitable means that threat actors can leverage it without requiring specialized skills or extensive preparation, making it particularly dangerous in production environments where such systems often handle sensitive financial data.
This security weakness manifests as an insufficient authentication mechanism that allows unauthenticated attackers to access the Oracle General Ledger system through standard HTTP network connections. The attack vector requires only network access via HTTP, eliminating the need for prior credentials or privileged access. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and specifically targets the Account Hierarchy Manager, which is responsible for managing the organizational structure of financial accounts within the general ledger system. The technical flaw essentially creates an access control bypass where unauthorized users can retrieve sensitive financial data without proper authentication.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data exposure, as it enables unauthorized read access to a subset of Oracle General Ledger accessible data. While the CVSS score of 5.3 indicates a moderate severity level, the confidentiality impact is rated as low, suggesting that the data exposure is limited but still potentially significant for financial operations. The vulnerability does not allow for modification of data or system compromise beyond read access, but the financial implications remain substantial as it could expose sensitive account hierarchies, transaction details, or financial reporting structures that could be used for competitive advantage or fraudulent activities.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement mitigations including network segmentation to restrict access to the Oracle E-Business Suite components, implementing proper firewall rules to limit HTTP access, and applying the relevant Oracle security patches. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-287 which addresses improper authentication issues, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1190 for exploitation of vulnerabilities in web applications. System administrators should also consider implementing network monitoring to detect unauthorized access attempts and establish proper access controls to ensure that only authorized personnel can access financial data. Regular vulnerability assessments and patch management processes become critical to prevent exploitation of similar weaknesses in other components of the Oracle E-Business Suite.