CVE-2018-2900 in BI Publisher
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the BI Publisher component of Oracle Fusion Middleware (subcomponent: Layout Tools). The supported version that is affected is 11.1.1.7.0. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows unauthenticated attacker with network access via HTTP to compromise BI Publisher. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized creation, deletion or modification access to critical data or all BI Publisher accessible data as well as unauthorized read access to a subset of BI Publisher accessible data. CVSS 3.0 Base Score 8.2 (Confidentiality and Integrity impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:H/A:N).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/10/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-2900 resides within the BI Publisher component of Oracle Fusion Middleware, specifically within the Layout Tools subcomponent. This flaw affects version 11.1.1.7.0 of the software and represents a critical security weakness that can be exploited without authentication. The vulnerability's classification as easily exploitable indicates that attackers can leverage it with minimal technical expertise, making it particularly dangerous in production environments where such systems are often exposed to external networks.
This security flaw operates through the HTTP protocol, allowing unauthenticated attackers to establish network connections to the vulnerable BI Publisher service. The attack surface is significant as it enables adversaries to perform unauthorized operations on the affected system, including creating, deleting, or modifying critical data within the BI Publisher environment. The vulnerability's impact extends to both data integrity and confidentiality aspects, as attackers can not only alter data but also gain unauthorized read access to sensitive information contained within the system.
The CVSS 3.0 scoring of 8.2 reflects the severity of this vulnerability, with a base score that indicates high impact across multiple vectors. The assessment shows a low attack complexity score of L, meaning the exploit requires minimal technical skills, and no privileges are required for exploitation, making it accessible to a broad range of threat actors. The lack of user interaction requirement further amplifies the risk, as attackers can initiate the exploit automatically without any user involvement. The scope of the vulnerability is rated as unchanged, indicating that the compromise affects the same security scope as the vulnerable component itself.
The specific impacts of this vulnerability align with CWE-284, which addresses improper access control issues in software systems. This weakness allows attackers to perform unauthorized operations on data that should normally be protected, creating potential for significant data breaches and system compromise. The vulnerability's potential for unauthorized data modification and deletion directly maps to the integrity impact component of the CVSS score, while the read access capabilities contribute to the confidentiality concerns.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should prioritize immediate remediation through Oracle's security patches and updates. The mitigation strategy should include network segmentation to limit access to the vulnerable BI Publisher component, implementing proper access controls, and monitoring network traffic for suspicious activities. Security teams should also consider deploying web application firewalls to detect and block exploitation attempts. The vulnerability's characteristics suggest that organizations should conduct thorough security assessments of their Oracle Fusion Middleware deployments to identify and address similar weaknesses in other components of the suite. Additionally, the incident highlights the importance of maintaining current security patches and implementing robust network monitoring to detect and respond to exploitation attempts before they can cause significant damage to critical business data and operations.