CVE-2018-2939 in Oracle
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the Core RDBMS component of Oracle Database Server. Supported versions that are affected are 11.2.0.4, 12.1.0.2, 12.2.0.1, 18.1 and 18.2. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows low privileged attacker having Local Logon privilege with logon to the infrastructure where Core RDBMS executes to compromise Core RDBMS. While the vulnerability is in Core RDBMS, attacks may significantly impact additional products. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized creation, deletion or modification access to critical data or all Core RDBMS accessible data and unauthorized ability to cause a hang or frequently repeatable crash (complete DOS) of Core RDBMS. CVSS 3.0 Base Score 8.4 (Integrity and Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:H/A:H).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/09/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-2939 resides within Oracle Database Server's Core RDBMS component, representing a significant security weakness that affects multiple version lines including 11.2.0.4, 12.1.0.2, 12.2.0.1, 18.1, and 18.2. This flaw operates under the Common Weakness Enumeration classification of CWE-264, which encompasses permissions, privileges, and access control issues. The vulnerability's exploitability is rated as easily accessible, requiring only a low-privileged attacker who already possesses local logon capabilities to the system infrastructure where Core RDBMS operates. This presents a particularly concerning threat vector as it leverages existing local access to escalate privileges and compromise the database system.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient access controls within the Core RDBMS execution environment, allowing an attacker with local logon privileges to manipulate critical database operations. The flaw specifically enables unauthorized modification, creation, and deletion of data within the database system, potentially affecting all data accessible through Core RDBMS. Additionally, the vulnerability can be exploited to induce complete denial of service conditions by causing system hangs or frequent crashes, effectively rendering the database server non-operational. This dual impact on both data integrity and system availability makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where database systems serve as critical infrastructure components.
The operational impact of CVE-2018-2939 extends beyond the immediate Core RDBMS component, as attacks exploiting this vulnerability can potentially affect additional Oracle products that depend on or interact with the compromised database system. The CVSS 3.0 base score of 8.4 reflects the high severity of the vulnerability, with the vector AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:H/A:H indicating that the attack requires local access but has a low complexity, low privilege requirement, and results in high impact on both integrity and availability. This vulnerability's characteristics align with ATT&CK technique T1068, which involves exploiting local system privileges to gain elevated access, and T1499, which covers endpoint denial of service attacks. The vulnerability's classification as a local privilege escalation issue means that any attacker with local access to the database server can potentially compromise the entire database infrastructure.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigations including applying the relevant Oracle security patches, restricting local access to database servers, implementing network segmentation to limit exposure, and monitoring for suspicious local login activities. The vulnerability's ease of exploitation makes it particularly dangerous in environments where local access controls are not properly enforced, as it can be leveraged by both malicious insiders and external attackers who have gained initial local footholds. Security teams should also consider implementing database activity monitoring solutions to detect unauthorized data modification attempts and system disruption activities that may indicate exploitation of this vulnerability. The impact of this vulnerability on enterprise database security cannot be understated, as it represents a pathway for attackers to achieve significant data compromise and service disruption within critical business infrastructure.