CVE-2018-2970 in PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools component of Oracle PeopleSoft Products (subcomponent: PIA Search Functionality). Supported versions that are affected are 8.55 and 8.56. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows low privileged attacker with network access via HTTP to compromise PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized read access to a subset of PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools 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 • 04/17/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-2970 resides within the PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools component, specifically affecting the PIA Search Functionality subcomponent. This security flaw impacts Oracle PeopleSoft Products versions 8.55 and 8.56, representing a significant concern for organizations utilizing these platforms. The vulnerability operates at the intersection of web application security and enterprise resource planning systems, where the search functionality becomes a vector for unauthorized data access. The affected environment represents a critical business application layer that handles sensitive enterprise data, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous in enterprise settings where data confidentiality is paramount.
The technical flaw manifests through a weakness in the search functionality implementation that allows unauthorized access to data within the PeopleSoft environment. Attackers with low privilege levels and network access via HTTP can exploit this vulnerability to perform unauthorized read operations against specific subsets of accessible data. The vulnerability's classification as easily exploitable indicates that the attack vector requires minimal technical expertise or resources to execute successfully. The CVSS 3.0 score of 4.3 reflects the relatively moderate impact on confidentiality while maintaining a low attack complexity and requiring only low privileges, making this vulnerability particularly concerning for organizations with less stringent access controls.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data exposure, affecting the integrity of enterprise data access controls within PeopleSoft environments. Successful exploitation can lead to unauthorized access to sensitive business information, potentially including employee records, financial data, or proprietary business information. Organizations relying on PeopleSoft for critical business operations face increased risk of data breaches, regulatory compliance violations, and potential financial losses. The vulnerability's impact is particularly severe in environments where PeopleSoft serves as the primary interface for business processes, as it undermines the fundamental security assumptions of the platform's access controls.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying Oracle's security patches and updates for the affected versions, reviewing and strengthening access controls for PeopleSoft applications, and monitoring network traffic for suspicious activity related to search functionality. Network segmentation and firewall rules should be configured to limit access to PeopleSoft applications to authorized users and systems only. Security teams should also conduct thorough vulnerability assessments of their PeopleSoft environments, focusing on search functionality and related components. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 (Improper Access Control) and represents a specific instance of how search functionality can become a vector for privilege escalation and unauthorized data access. Organizations should also consider implementing additional monitoring and logging for search operations to detect potential exploitation attempts. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under privilege escalation and credential access techniques, highlighting the need for comprehensive defensive measures that address both network-level and application-level security controls.