CVE-2018-3301 in PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools component of Oracle PeopleSoft Products (subcomponent: PIA Core Technology). 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-2018-3301 resides within the PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools component, specifically within the PIA Core Technology subcomponent of Oracle PeopleSoft Products. This flaw affects versions 8.55 and 8.56, representing a significant security concern for organizations utilizing these software versions. The vulnerability classification as easily exploitable indicates that attackers can leverage this weakness without requiring specialized skills or extensive resources, making it particularly dangerous in production environments where PeopleSoft systems handle sensitive business data. The attack vector through HTTP connections means that malicious actors can potentially compromise systems from remote locations without requiring physical access or prior authentication credentials.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient access controls within the PeopleTools framework, allowing unauthenticated attackers to gain unauthorized access to system resources. The CVSS 3.0 score of 6.1 reflects the moderate severity of this flaw, with confidentiality and integrity impacts rated as low but still significant. The vulnerability requires human interaction from individuals other than the attacker, suggesting that social engineering or targeted user manipulation may be necessary to achieve successful exploitation. This requirement for human interaction does not diminish the threat level, as it indicates that attackers can leverage user trust or awareness gaps to compromise the system. The attack could potentially impact additional products beyond the primary PeopleTools component, demonstrating the interconnected nature of enterprise software ecosystems where vulnerabilities in one component can affect broader system functionality.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data access issues, as successful exploitation can result in unauthorized update, insert, or delete operations against PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools accessible data. This capability allows attackers to modify or corrupt critical business information, potentially disrupting operations or creating false records that could have financial or regulatory consequences. Additionally, unauthorized read access to subset of accessible data enables attackers to gather sensitive information that could be used for further attacks or sold on dark web markets. The CVSS vector specifically indicates network accessibility with low attack complexity and no privilege requirements, making this vulnerability particularly attractive to automated attack tools and opportunistic threat actors. Organizations utilizing affected versions must consider the potential for cascading effects where compromise of PeopleTools could impact downstream applications or data repositories that depend on PeopleSoft infrastructure.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-3301 should prioritize immediate patching of affected systems to address the underlying access control vulnerabilities. Organizations should implement network segmentation to limit access to PeopleSoft components and consider deploying web application firewalls to monitor and filter HTTP traffic to these systems. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify similar weaknesses in the broader PeopleSoft ecosystem. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which addresses improper access control issues, and may map to ATT&CK techniques involving privilege escalation and credential access. Given the potential for this vulnerability to affect multiple products within the PeopleSoft suite, comprehensive security monitoring should extend beyond the immediate affected component to encompass related systems and data flows. Regular security training for personnel who interact with PeopleSoft systems can help reduce the risk associated with the human interaction requirement, as users need to be aware of social engineering attempts that could exploit this vulnerability.