CVE-2018-3206 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 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 described in CVE-2018-3206 represents a critical security flaw within Oracle PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools, specifically affecting the Portal subcomponent. This issue impacts versions 8.55 and 8.56 of the PeopleTools suite, which are widely deployed in enterprise environments for human capital management and financial applications. The vulnerability stems from insufficient authentication mechanisms that allow unauthenticated attackers to exploit the system through standard HTTP network connections, making it particularly dangerous as it requires no prior authorization to initiate attacks. The CVSS score of 6.1 indicates a moderate to high severity threat that affects both confidentiality and integrity aspects of the affected systems.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through a combination of network-based attacks that leverage the Portal component's insufficient access controls. Attackers can perform unauthorized operations including data modification, insertion, and deletion within the PeopleSoft environment, while also gaining read access to sensitive data subsets. The requirement for human interaction suggests that while the initial network access is unauthenticated, successful exploitation may still require some form of user involvement or specific conditions to be met. This vulnerability's impact extends beyond the immediate PeopleTools component, potentially affecting other integrated products within the PeopleSoft ecosystem through cascading security implications.
From an operational standpoint, the compromise of PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools through CVE-2018-3206 could result in significant data breaches and system integrity violations. The unauthorized update, insert, or delete operations could lead to financial data manipulation, employee record alterations, or other critical business process disruptions. The confidentiality impact allows attackers to access sensitive information that should remain protected within the enterprise environment. Organizations using these affected versions face substantial risk of data leakage, regulatory compliance violations, and potential financial losses due to the exposure of sensitive business information. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-287 which addresses improper authentication issues, and represents a clear violation of the principle of least privilege in system security architecture.
The attack vector specified in the CVSS vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N) indicates that network-based attacks with low complexity can be executed without prior authentication, requiring only user interaction to complete successful exploitation. This configuration places organizations at significant risk as attackers can leverage this vulnerability from external network positions without needing insider knowledge or credentials. The security implications extend to the broader PeopleSoft ecosystem, as compromised Portal components could potentially provide attackers with pathways to access other integrated systems within the enterprise infrastructure. Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate patch deployment, network segmentation, and enhanced monitoring of Portal component activities to detect unauthorized access attempts and prevent successful exploitation of this vulnerability.