CVE-2018-2985 in PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools component of Oracle PeopleSoft Products (subcomponent: Workflow). Supported versions that are affected are 8.55 and 8.56. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows unauthenticated attacker with network access via HTTP to compromise PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools. Successful attacks require human interaction from a person other than the attacker and while the vulnerability is in PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools, attacks may significantly impact additional products. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized update, insert or delete access to some of PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools accessible data as well as unauthorized read access to a subset of PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools accessible data. CVSS 3.0 Base Score 6.1 (Confidentiality and Integrity impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N).
If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/17/2023
The vulnerability described in CVE-2018-2985 represents a critical security flaw within Oracle PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools, specifically affecting the Workflow subcomponent. This vulnerability exists in versions 8.55 and 8.56 of the PeopleTools suite, which are widely deployed across enterprise environments for business process management and workflow automation. The affected component serves as a foundational element for workflow execution and process orchestration within PeopleSoft applications, making it a prime target for malicious actors seeking to compromise enterprise data integrity and confidentiality.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through unauthenticated HTTP network access, presenting an easily exploitable attack vector that requires minimal prerequisites for successful compromise. The vulnerability's classification as CVSS 3.0 Base Score 6.1 indicates a moderate to high severity threat level, with specific impact metrics showing confidentiality and integrity vulnerabilities rated as low severity but with potential for significant operational consequences. The attack requires human interaction from individuals other than the attacker, suggesting that the exploit may involve social engineering elements or require specific user actions to complete the attack sequence. This characteristic aligns with CWE-352, which identifies Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerabilities as a common class of security flaws where user interaction is necessary for successful exploitation.
The operational impact of successful exploitation extends beyond the immediate PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools component to potentially affect additional products within the Oracle ecosystem. Attackers can achieve unauthorized update, insert, or delete access to sensitive data within the PeopleTools accessible data scope, while also gaining unauthorized read access to specific data subsets. This dual impact on both data modification and confidentiality represents a significant risk to enterprise operations, particularly in environments where PeopleSoft serves as a central hub for business-critical processes and data management. The vulnerability's potential to compromise workflow processes and business data integrity could lead to operational disruptions, data loss, or unauthorized modifications to business processes that are fundamental to enterprise operations.
Organizations should implement comprehensive mitigation strategies that include network segmentation to restrict access to PeopleSoft components, regular security assessments to identify potential exploitation vectors, and immediate patch deployment for affected versions. The vulnerability's characteristics align with ATT&CK technique T1190, which covers Exploit Public-Facing Application, indicating that organizations should strengthen their perimeter defenses and implement robust access controls. Additionally, the vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining current security patches and implementing monitoring solutions to detect unauthorized access attempts. The human interaction requirement suggests that employee security awareness training should be enhanced to prevent social engineering attacks that might leverage this vulnerability, while also ensuring that access controls are properly configured to minimize potential attack surfaces.