CVE-2018-3196 in E-Business Suite
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the Oracle Partner Management component of Oracle E-Business Suite (subcomponent: Partner Dashboard). Supported versions that are affected are 12.1.1, 12.1.2, 12.1.3, 12.2.3, 12.2.4, 12.2.5, 12.2.6 and 12.2.7. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows unauthenticated attacker with network access via HTTP to compromise Oracle Partner Management. Successful attacks require human interaction from a person other than the attacker and while the vulnerability is in Oracle Partner Management, attacks may significantly impact additional products. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized access to critical data or complete access to all Oracle Partner Management accessible data as well as unauthorized update, insert or delete access to some of Oracle Partner Management accessible data. CVSS 3.0 Base Score 8.2 (Confidentiality and Integrity impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:N).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/25/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-3196 resides within the Oracle Partner Management component of Oracle E-Business Suite, specifically within the Partner Dashboard subcomponent. This critical security flaw affects multiple version releases including 12.1.1 through 12.2.7, making it a widespread concern across the Oracle E-Business Suite ecosystem. The vulnerability's classification as easily exploitable indicates that attackers can leverage relatively straightforward techniques to compromise the affected systems, particularly targeting the Partner Management functionality that serves as a critical interface for business partner interactions and data management.
The technical nature of this vulnerability manifests as an authentication bypass flaw that allows unauthenticated attackers to gain access to Oracle Partner Management through HTTP network connections. This represents a fundamental breakdown in the security architecture of the component, as the system fails to properly validate user credentials or session tokens before granting access to sensitive functionality. The vulnerability's CVSS score of 8.2 reflects its significant impact potential, with high confidentiality impact indicating that attackers could access critical data, while the integrity impact score of low suggests that while data modification capabilities exist, they may be more limited in scope compared to the extensive data exposure risk.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond the immediate Partner Management component, as successful exploitation can potentially compromise additional Oracle products within the E-Business Suite environment. This cascading effect demonstrates how vulnerabilities in one component can create broader security implications across interconnected systems, creating a ripple effect that can compromise entire business applications. The requirement for human interaction from individuals other than the attacker indicates that social engineering or targeted phishing techniques may be necessary to initiate the exploitation process, though the actual vulnerability itself remains accessible to unauthorized network access.
Security practitioners should recognize this vulnerability as aligning with CWE-287 (Improper Authentication) and potentially related to CWE-310 (Cryptographic Issues) given the authentication bypass nature. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving initial access through network services and privilege escalation through data access. The CVSS vector analysis reveals the attack surface characteristics with network accessibility (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), no required privileges (PR:N), and the need for user interaction (UI:R) while showing the potential for significant impact across multiple products (S:C). Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including network segmentation, access controls, and application firewalls to limit exposure. Regular patch management and security monitoring are essential to prevent exploitation attempts, while security awareness training can help reduce the risk of social engineering attacks that may be used to initiate exploitation. The vulnerability's characteristics make it particularly dangerous for organizations handling sensitive partner data, as it could lead to unauthorized access to confidential business information and potential data manipulation across the E-Business Suite environment.