CVE-2018-2963 in Primavera P6 Enterprise Project Portfolio Management
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the Primavera P6 Enterprise Project Portfolio Management component of Oracle Construction and Engineering Suite (subcomponent: Web Access). Supported versions that are affected are 8.4, 15.x and 16.x. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows low privileged attacker with network access via HTTP to compromise Primavera P6 Enterprise Project Portfolio Management. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized read access to a subset of Primavera P6 Enterprise Project Portfolio Management accessible data. CVSS 3.0 Base Score 4.3 (Confidentiality impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/09/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-2963 affects Oracle Construction and Engineering Suite's Primavera P6 Enterprise Project Portfolio Management component, specifically within the Web Access subcomponent. This security flaw represents a significant concern for organizations utilizing project portfolio management systems that handle sensitive business data. The affected versions include 8.4, 15.x, and 16.x releases, indicating this vulnerability has persisted across multiple major versions of the software. The vulnerability classification as easily exploitable means that attackers with minimal privileges and network access can potentially compromise the system without requiring extensive technical expertise or specialized tools.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient access controls within the web interface of Primavera P6, allowing a low-privileged attacker to gain unauthorized read access to specific data within the system. This weakness specifically impacts the confidentiality aspect of the information security triad, as evidenced by the CVSS 3.0 Base Score of 4.3 with a confidentiality impact rating of C:L. The vulnerability requires network access via HTTP, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited remotely without requiring physical access to the system. The low privilege requirement means that even users with minimal system permissions could potentially exploit this flaw, expanding the attack surface significantly.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data exposure, as Primavera P6 systems typically contain sensitive project information including resource allocations, timelines, budget data, and strategic business plans. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability could access a subset of the system's data, potentially gaining insights into organizational project priorities, resource utilization patterns, and financial planning information. This type of information disclosure could enable competitors to gain strategic advantages or could be used as part of broader reconnaissance efforts. The vulnerability's classification under CWE-284 (Improper Access Control) and its mapping to ATT&CK technique T1213.002 (Data from Information Repositories) highlights the fundamental nature of the flaw as an access control mechanism failure that allows unauthorized data retrieval.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the relevant Oracle security patches, implementing network segmentation to limit access to the affected system, and conducting thorough access control reviews. The CVSS vector indicates that while the vulnerability is not highly critical, the combination of network accessibility and low privilege requirements makes it particularly concerning. Security teams should also consider implementing network monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts and establish proper user access controls to minimize the impact of any successful attacks. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and implementing defense-in-depth strategies to protect critical business systems.