CVE-2018-2958 in BI Publisher
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the BI Publisher component of Oracle Fusion Middleware (subcomponent: BI Publisher Security). Supported versions that are affected are 11.1.1.7.0, 11.1.1.9.0, 12.2.1.2.0 and 12.2.1.3.0. 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-2018-2958 resides within the BI Publisher component of Oracle Fusion Middleware, specifically within the BI Publisher Security subcomponent. This critical security flaw affects multiple supported versions including 11.1.1.7.0, 11.1.1.9.0, 12.2.1.2.0, and 12.2.1.3.0, making it a widespread concern for organizations utilizing Oracle Fusion Middleware solutions. The vulnerability's classification as easily exploitable indicates that attackers can leverage it without requiring specialized skills or privileged access, presenting a significant risk to enterprise environments.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient authentication and authorization controls within the BI Publisher security framework. An unauthenticated attacker with network access via HTTP can exploit this weakness to gain unauthorized access to the system. This flaw operates at the application layer, allowing attackers to perform critical operations including creating, deleting, or modifying data within the BI Publisher environment. The vulnerability's impact extends to both confidentiality and integrity aspects of the security triad, with the CVSS 3.0 score of 8.2 reflecting the severity of potential data compromise and modification.
The operational implications of CVE-2018-2958 are substantial, as successful exploitation can lead to unauthorized access to sensitive business intelligence data and reporting capabilities. Attackers can potentially access a subset of all BI Publisher accessible data, which may include confidential business reports, financial data, and strategic information that organizations rely upon for decision-making. The ability to modify or delete critical data within the BI Publisher environment can result in data corruption, loss of business intelligence, and disruption of reporting processes that are fundamental to enterprise operations. This vulnerability essentially provides attackers with a backdoor into the business intelligence infrastructure, potentially compromising the integrity of business-critical information systems.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the relevant Oracle Critical Patch Updates that address this vulnerability, as well as implementing network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-287 which addresses improper authentication issues, and represents a significant concern from an ATT&CK perspective under the Initial Access and Credential Access phases. Additional protective measures should include monitoring network traffic for suspicious HTTP requests targeting BI Publisher components, implementing web application firewalls, and conducting regular security assessments of Oracle Fusion Middleware installations to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities. The CVSS vector analysis indicates that this vulnerability can be exploited remotely without requiring user interaction, making it particularly dangerous for organizations that do not properly isolate their middleware components from external networks.