CVE-2018-3198 in PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools component of Oracle PeopleSoft Products (subcomponent: Portal). Supported versions that are affected are 8.55, 8.56 and 8.57. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows unauthenticated attacker with network access via HTTP to compromise PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized read access to a subset of PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools accessible data. CVSS 3.0 Base Score 5.3 (Confidentiality impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/18/2024
The CVE-2018-3198 vulnerability represents a significant security weakness in Oracle PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools, specifically within the Portal subcomponent that affects versions 8.55, 8.56, and 8.57. This vulnerability manifests as an easily exploitable security flaw that can be leveraged by unauthenticated attackers who gain network access through HTTP protocols. The vulnerability's classification as a medium severity issue according to CVSS 3.0 scoring system reflects its potential to compromise the confidentiality of sensitive data within the PeopleSoft environment. The CVSS vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N) indicates that the attack requires no user interaction, has low access complexity, and affects the entire system without requiring privileged access, making it particularly concerning for organizations relying on PeopleSoft platforms.
This vulnerability specifically targets the Portal component of PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools, which serves as a critical interface for accessing various enterprise applications and data within the PeopleSoft ecosystem. The flaw allows attackers to perform unauthorized read access operations against a subset of accessible PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools data, potentially exposing sensitive business information, employee records, financial data, or other confidential organizational assets. The vulnerability's impact is confined to confidentiality rather than integrity or availability, suggesting that while data can be read without authorization, the system's operational functionality remains unaffected. However, the unauthorized data access could still result in significant business disruption, regulatory compliance violations, and reputational damage to affected organizations.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient access controls or authentication mechanisms within the Portal subcomponent, enabling unauthenticated HTTP requests to retrieve sensitive data that should normally require proper authorization. This type of flaw typically occurs when developers fail to implement adequate input validation or when default security configurations are not properly enforced. The vulnerability's classification aligns with CWE-284 (Improper Access Control) and may also relate to CWE-352 (Cross-Site Request Forgery) depending on the specific implementation details. Organizations utilizing PeopleSoft platforms are particularly vulnerable since these systems often contain highly sensitive business data and are frequently targeted by cybercriminals seeking to exploit weak access controls.
Organizations should immediately implement several mitigation strategies to address this vulnerability, including applying the relevant Oracle security patches and updates released to remediate the specific flaw. Network segmentation and access control measures should be strengthened to limit unauthorized network access to PeopleSoft systems, while implementing robust firewall rules to restrict HTTP traffic to necessary ports and IP addresses only. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify similar access control weaknesses within the broader PeopleSoft environment and related applications. Additionally, organizations should review their access control policies and ensure that proper authentication mechanisms are in place for all Portal components, implementing multi-factor authentication where appropriate and establishing comprehensive monitoring and logging for all data access attempts. The vulnerability's potential for exploitation underscores the importance of maintaining up-to-date security practices and following industry standards such as those outlined in the MITRE ATT&CK framework for enterprise security defense.