CVE-2018-3316 in Retail Customer Management
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the Oracle Retail Customer Management and Segmentation Foundation component of Oracle Retail Applications (subcomponent: Segment). Supported versions that are affected are 16.0 and 17.0. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows low privileged attacker with network access via HTTP to compromise Oracle Retail Customer Management and Segmentation Foundation. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized access to critical data or complete access to all Oracle Retail Customer Management and Segmentation Foundation accessible data as well as unauthorized update, insert or delete access to some of Oracle Retail Customer Management and Segmentation Foundation accessible data and unauthorized ability to cause a partial denial of service (partial DOS) of Oracle Retail Customer Management and Segmentation Foundation. CVSS 3.0 Base Score 7.6 (Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:L).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/07/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-3316 resides within Oracle Retail Customer Management and Segmentation Foundation component, specifically affecting the Segment subcomponent in versions 16.0 and 17.0 of the Oracle Retail Applications suite. This represents a significant security weakness that falls under CWE-287 - Improper Authentication, where the system fails to properly validate user credentials or authorization levels. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and demonstrates a critical flaw in access control mechanisms that should prevent unauthorized users from gaining elevated privileges. The affected system architecture relies on HTTP protocol for network communication, making it susceptible to man-in-the-middle attacks and network-based exploitation attempts.
The technical flaw manifests as an insufficient authentication mechanism that allows low privileged attackers to bypass normal access controls through network-based HTTP connections. This vulnerability exploits weaknesses in the authentication flow where session management or credential validation processes are inadequate. Attackers can leverage this weakness to perform unauthorized data access operations that would normally be restricted to authorized personnel. The vulnerability's CVSS score of 7.6 indicates a high severity level with significant impacts across confidentiality, integrity, and availability domains. The attack vector requires network access via HTTP protocol which means that any system with exposed HTTP endpoints could potentially be targeted, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where such interfaces are commonly exposed to external networks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized data access to encompass complete compromise of sensitive customer information within the retail customer management system. Successful exploitation can result in unauthorized modification, insertion, or deletion of customer data, effectively allowing attackers to manipulate the customer database with potentially devastating consequences for business operations. The partial denial of service component of this vulnerability can disrupt normal business processes by preventing legitimate users from accessing critical customer management functions. This dual nature of impact makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous as it can simultaneously cause data breaches and operational disruptions. Organizations relying on Oracle Retail Customer Management and Segmentation Foundation for customer data management face significant risks including regulatory compliance violations, financial losses, and reputational damage.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate patch application from Oracle to address the authentication flaw in affected versions. Network segmentation and firewall rules should be implemented to restrict HTTP access to only authorized systems and users. Enhanced monitoring of HTTP traffic and authentication attempts can help detect exploitation attempts. Organizations should also implement additional authentication layers such as two-factor authentication and regular security audits of access controls. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 - Valid Accounts, where attackers leverage legitimate credentials to gain access to systems. Security teams should consider implementing principle of least privilege access controls and regular credential rotation policies to minimize the impact of such vulnerabilities. Additionally, network intrusion detection systems should be configured to alert on suspicious authentication patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts against this specific vulnerability.