CVE-2019-2423 in PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools component of Oracle PeopleSoft Products (subcomponent: PIA Search). 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 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 • 06/28/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-2423 resides within the PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools component, specifically within the PIA Search subcomponent of Oracle PeopleSoft Products. This flaw affects multiple supported versions including 8.55, 8.56, and 8.57, creating a significant security exposure across a substantial portion of the PeopleSoft product ecosystem. The vulnerability's classification as easily exploitable indicates that attackers can leverage this weakness with minimal technical sophistication, making it particularly dangerous in production environments where such systems often handle sensitive enterprise data.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient authentication mechanisms within the PIA Search functionality, allowing unauthenticated attackers to gain network access via HTTP protocols. This represents a critical design flaw that violates fundamental security principles of access control and authentication. The vulnerability's CVSS 3.0 base score of 6.1 reflects the moderate severity level, with confidentiality and integrity impacts rated as low, though the potential for unauthorized data manipulation through update, insert, or delete operations creates substantial risk. The vector analysis shows network accessibility (AV:N) with low attack complexity (AC:L) and no privilege requirements (PR:N), indicating that this vulnerability can be exploited remotely without specialized tools or credentials.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond the immediate PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools component, as successful exploitation can affect additional products within the Oracle PeopleSoft ecosystem. This cascading effect demonstrates the interconnected nature of enterprise applications and highlights how a single vulnerability in one component can compromise entire application suites. The requirement for human interaction from a person other than the attacker suggests that while the initial exploitation may be automated, some form of user engagement or system interaction is necessary for complete compromise, potentially involving social engineering or targeted phishing attacks. The vulnerability enables unauthorized access to sensitive data through both read and write operations, creating opportunities for data exfiltration, modification of critical business information, and potential disruption of business processes.
Organizations affected by CVE-2019-2423 should implement immediate mitigations including network segmentation, firewall rule restrictions, and access control enhancements to limit exposure to this vulnerability. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-287, which addresses improper authentication issues, and maps to ATT&CK techniques such as T1190 for exploiting vulnerabilities and T1071.004 for application layer protocol usage. Security teams should prioritize patch management and monitor for indicators of compromise, particularly focusing on unusual search patterns or unauthorized access attempts. The vulnerability's classification as a medium severity issue that requires human interaction suggests that organizations should also implement user awareness training to prevent potential exploitation through social engineering approaches. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar authentication weaknesses within the broader PeopleSoft environment, ensuring comprehensive protection against both current and emerging threats.