CVE-2018-2878 in PeopleSoft Enterprise HCM Shared Components
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the PeopleSoft Enterprise HCM Shared Components component of Oracle PeopleSoft Products (subcomponent: Notepad). The supported version that is affected is 9.2. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows unauthenticated attacker with network access via HTTP to compromise PeopleSoft Enterprise HCM Shared Components. Successful attacks require human interaction from a person other than the attacker and while the vulnerability is in PeopleSoft Enterprise HCM Shared Components, attacks may significantly impact additional products. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized update, insert or delete access to some of PeopleSoft Enterprise HCM Shared Components accessible data as well as unauthorized read access to a subset of PeopleSoft Enterprise HCM Shared Components accessible data. CVSS 3.0 Base Score 6.1 (Confidentiality and Integrity impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/02/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-2878 resides within Oracle PeopleSoft Enterprise HCM Shared Components, specifically affecting the Notepad subcomponent in version 9.2. This represents a significant security weakness that exposes organizations to unauthorized access and data manipulation risks. The vulnerability operates within the PeopleSoft ecosystem, which is widely deployed across enterprise environments for human capital management and related business processes. The affected component serves as a shared service that multiple applications within the PeopleSoft suite may utilize, amplifying the potential impact beyond the immediate Notepad functionality.
The technical flaw manifests as an insufficient access control mechanism within the Notepad component that fails to properly authenticate or authorize incoming HTTP requests. This weakness allows an unauthenticated attacker to exploit the system through standard network connections without requiring valid credentials or privileged access. The vulnerability's exploitability is rated as easily accessible due to the lack of authentication requirements and the HTTP-based attack vector that can be leveraged from external networks. The attack requires minimal technical sophistication and can be executed through standard web browsing tools or automated exploitation frameworks.
Operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data access, encompassing comprehensive data manipulation capabilities that can significantly compromise enterprise data integrity and confidentiality. Successful exploitation enables unauthorized users to perform update, insert, and delete operations against sensitive data within the affected components, while also providing read access to restricted information. The CVSS 3.0 score of 6.1 reflects the moderate severity of the impact, with confidentiality and integrity being the primary affected attributes. The vector analysis indicates network-based attack accessibility with low complexity and no privilege requirements, while the human interaction requirement suggests that successful exploitation may involve social engineering or user-based triggers. The scope impact rating of "C" indicates that the vulnerability can affect additional products beyond the immediate target, creating cascading security implications throughout the enterprise environment.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which addresses improper access control issues, and demonstrates characteristics consistent with ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and T1566 for social engineering approaches. Organizations utilizing PeopleSoft Enterprise HCM Shared Components should implement immediate mitigations including network segmentation, firewall rule configurations to restrict HTTP access, and application-level authentication enforcement. The recommended remediation approach involves applying Oracle's security patches and updates as released through their official support channels, while also implementing monitoring solutions to detect anomalous access patterns. Additionally, organizations should conduct comprehensive security assessments of their PeopleSoft deployments to identify similar vulnerabilities and establish robust access control policies. The incident highlights the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date security configurations and implementing defense-in-depth strategies to protect enterprise applications from network-based exploitation attempts.