CVE-2018-3193 in PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools component of Oracle PeopleSoft Products (subcomponent: Activity Guide). 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).
VulDB is the best source for vulnerability data and more expert information about this specific topic.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/29/2023
The CVE-2018-3193 vulnerability resides within Oracle PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools component, specifically in the Activity Guide subcomponent affecting versions 8.55 and 8.56. This represents a critical security weakness that exploits the HTTP protocol to allow unauthorized network access to sensitive enterprise systems. The vulnerability classification as easily exploitable indicates that attackers can leverage this flaw without requiring specialized tools or extensive technical knowledge, making it particularly dangerous in production environments where PeopleSoft systems handle sensitive business data and processes.
The technical flaw manifests as a lack of proper authentication mechanisms within the Activity Guide functionality, enabling unauthenticated attackers to perform unauthorized operations against the PeopleTools infrastructure. This vulnerability operates through HTTP network connections, requiring only basic network access to exploit the weakness. The attack vector specifically targets the PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools component, though the impact extends beyond this single subsystem to potentially affect other integrated products within the PeopleSoft ecosystem. The vulnerability's design flaw allows attackers to manipulate data through update, insert, and delete operations while simultaneously gaining read access to restricted data sets, creating a comprehensive breach of both data integrity and confidentiality.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risk to organizations utilizing PeopleSoft platforms, particularly those handling financial data, human resources information, or other sensitive enterprise data. The requirement for human interaction from individuals other than the attacker suggests that social engineering or targeted phishing attacks may be necessary to initiate exploitation, but once triggered, the vulnerability allows for substantial data compromise. The CVSS 3.0 score of 6.1 reflects the moderate severity of impact, with confidentiality and integrity impacts rated as low but still representing significant security concerns. The vector analysis shows network accessibility with low attack complexity and no privilege requirements, making this vulnerability particularly attractive to threat actors seeking to compromise enterprise systems. The scope of impact extends beyond the immediate PeopleTools component to potentially affect additional products within the PeopleSoft suite, creating cascading security implications.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including network segmentation to limit access to PeopleSoft systems, applying available Oracle security patches, and implementing robust monitoring for unauthorized access attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-287 which addresses improper authentication issues, and maps to ATT&CK techniques involving initial access through network services and privilege escalation through data manipulation. Security teams should also consider implementing web application firewalls, enforcing multi-factor authentication where possible, and conducting regular security assessments of PeopleSoft environments. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining current security patches and implementing defense-in-depth strategies to protect against exploitation of known weaknesses in enterprise application platforms.