CVE-2018-3164 in PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools component of Oracle PeopleSoft Products (subcomponent: Elastic Search). 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).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/29/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-3164 resides within the PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools component, specifically within the Elastic Search subcomponent of Oracle PeopleSoft Products. This security flaw affects versions 8.55 and 8.56, representing a significant concern for organizations utilizing these enterprise applications. The vulnerability's classification as easily exploitable indicates that malicious actors can leverage network-based HTTP access to compromise the affected systems without requiring authentication credentials. This characteristic places organizations at heightened risk as the attack vector does not require privileged access or complex exploitation techniques, making it particularly dangerous in environments where network exposure is common.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient access controls within the Elastic Search implementation, allowing unauthorized users to perform data manipulation operations through HTTP requests. Attackers can potentially execute unauthorized update, insert, or delete operations against sensitive data within the PeopleTools environment, while also gaining unauthorized read access to specific subsets of accessible data. The CVSS 3.0 scoring system rates this vulnerability with a base score of 6.1, indicating a medium severity level that reflects the combination of confidentiality and integrity impacts. The vector notation CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N reveals that network-based attacks require low access complexity, no privilege requirements, and human interaction from users other than the attacker, while the scope change indicates potential impact beyond the primary component.
The operational implications of this vulnerability extend beyond the immediate PeopleTools environment, as successful exploitation can affect additional products within the Oracle PeopleSoft ecosystem. This cascading effect demonstrates how a single vulnerability in a core component can compromise broader enterprise applications and data systems. The requirement for human interaction suggests that social engineering or targeted phishing campaigns might be employed to facilitate exploitation, where unsuspecting users inadvertently trigger the vulnerability through legitimate application usage. Organizations may face significant data integrity and confidentiality risks, as attackers can modify or extract sensitive business information that could impact financial operations, employee records, or proprietary business data.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including network segmentation to limit access to PeopleTools components, deploying web application firewalls to monitor and filter HTTP requests, and ensuring that affected versions are updated to patched releases. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 (Improper Access Control) and may relate to ATT&CK technique T1071.004 (Application Layer Protocol: DNS) when exploited through HTTP protocols. Additionally, implementing comprehensive monitoring solutions to detect unusual data access patterns and establishing robust incident response procedures can help organizations respond effectively to potential exploitation attempts. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify similar access control weaknesses across the enterprise infrastructure, particularly in components that handle sensitive data operations and integrate with external services.