CVE-2018-3160 in Hospitality Cruise Shipboard Property Management System
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the Oracle Hospitality Cruise Shipboard Property Management System component of Oracle Hospitality Applications (subcomponent: OHC Admin, OHC Management). The supported version that is affected is 8.0. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows high privileged attacker with logon to the infrastructure where Oracle Hospitality Cruise Shipboard Property Management System executes to compromise Oracle Hospitality Cruise Shipboard Property Management System. Successful attacks require human interaction from a person other than the attacker and while the vulnerability is in Oracle Hospitality Cruise Shipboard Property Management System, attacks may significantly impact additional products. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in takeover of Oracle Hospitality Cruise Shipboard Property Management System. CVSS 3.0 Base Score 7.7 (Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/26/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-3160 resides within the Oracle Hospitality Cruise Shipboard Property Management System, specifically affecting the OHC Admin and OHC Management subcomponents in version 8.0. This represents a critical security flaw that demonstrates the complex attack surface present in hospitality management systems operating in high-security environments. The vulnerability's classification as easily exploitable indicates that sophisticated attack techniques are not required, making it particularly dangerous for organizations relying on these systems for mission-critical operations. The attack vector requires local access with high privileges, suggesting that the vulnerability may be leveraged through compromised administrative accounts or insider threats. The CVSS 3.0 base score of 7.7 reflects the severe impact potential across confidentiality, integrity, and availability domains, indicating a substantial risk to the operational integrity of cruise shipboard property management systems.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient security controls within the Oracle Hospitality Cruise Shipboard Property Management System, which allows a high-privileged attacker with legitimate system access to compromise the entire system. The requirement for human interaction from someone other than the attacker suggests that social engineering or privilege escalation techniques may be necessary to reach the point of exploitation. This aspect of the vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK framework concepts related to privilege escalation and credential access, where attackers leverage existing legitimate credentials to gain deeper system access. The system's architecture appears to lack proper isolation mechanisms between different administrative functions, enabling a single compromised account to potentially lead to complete system takeover. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond the immediate system, as indicated by the CVSS vector's "S:C" designation, suggesting that successful attacks can affect additional products and systems within the broader cruise ship infrastructure.
The operational implications of this vulnerability are particularly severe given the nature of cruise ship operations and the criticality of property management systems. A successful compromise of the Oracle Hospitality Cruise Shipboard Property Management System could result in complete operational disruption, affecting guest services, crew management, and safety protocols. The high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability means that attackers could potentially access sensitive guest information, modify critical operational data, or even disrupt essential services during cruise operations. The vulnerability's characteristics suggest that it could be exploited to establish persistent access points within the cruise ship's IT infrastructure, creating long-term security risks. Organizations utilizing this system must consider the potential for cascading failures, as the compromise of one system could impact interconnected property management functions, guest communication systems, and security monitoring platforms.
Organizations should implement comprehensive mitigation strategies addressing both immediate remediation and long-term security enhancements for their Oracle Hospitality Cruise Shipboard Property Management Systems. The most critical immediate action involves applying the vendor-provided patches and updates to address the specific vulnerability in version 8.0. Access controls should be strictly enforced through principle of least privilege implementation, ensuring that administrative accounts have only necessary permissions for their specific functions. Network segmentation and monitoring solutions should be deployed to detect anomalous access patterns and potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability's classification as CWE-284 (Improper Access Control) and its alignment with ATT&CK techniques for privilege escalation and persistence indicate that traditional security controls may be insufficient. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify additional vulnerabilities within the cruise ship's hospitality management infrastructure. Additionally, incident response procedures should be updated to address potential compromise scenarios involving the property management system, ensuring that security teams can respond effectively to exploitation attempts and maintain operational continuity during security incidents.