CVE-2019-2431 in Argus Safety
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the Oracle Argus Safety component of Oracle Health Sciences Applications (subcomponent: Console). Supported versions that are affected are 8.1 and 8.2. Difficult to exploit vulnerability allows unauthenticated attacker with network access via HTTP to compromise Oracle Argus Safety. Successful attacks require human interaction from a person other than the attacker and while the vulnerability is in Oracle Argus Safety, attacks may significantly impact additional products. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized creation, deletion or modification access to critical data or all Oracle Argus Safety accessible data. CVSS 3.0 Base Score 6.1 (Integrity impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:N/I:H/A:N).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/28/2023
The vulnerability described in CVE-2019-2431 represents a critical security flaw within Oracle Argus Safety, specifically within its Console subcomponent of the Health Sciences Applications suite. This vulnerability affects versions 8.1 and 8.2, making it a widespread concern for organizations utilizing these particular iterations of the software. The affected component operates within the broader context of healthcare information systems where patient safety data and regulatory compliance are paramount. The vulnerability's classification as difficult to exploit indicates that while it requires specific conditions for successful exploitation, the potential impact on sensitive healthcare data makes it a significant concern for cybersecurity professionals managing medical device networks and health information systems.
The technical nature of this vulnerability lies in its ability to allow unauthenticated attackers to compromise Oracle Argus Safety through HTTP network connections. This represents a fundamental breakdown in the authentication and authorization mechanisms that should protect critical healthcare data systems. The CVSS 3.0 base score of 6.1 with a vector of AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:N/I:H/A:N indicates that while the attack requires high complexity and user interaction, the integrity impact is severe. The vulnerability's classification under CWE-287 (Improper Authentication) demonstrates the core flaw in the system's ability to verify user identities before granting access to sensitive data. The fact that successful exploitation requires human interaction from a person other than the attacker suggests that social engineering or phishing techniques may be necessary to initiate the attack, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous in environments where user awareness may be insufficient.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond the immediate compromise of Oracle Argus Safety itself, as indicated by the CVSS vector's Scope:Changed (S:C) classification. This means that successful attacks can potentially affect additional products within the healthcare organization's ecosystem, creating cascading security risks that could compromise multiple systems. The ability to create, delete, or modify critical data within Oracle Argus Safety represents a severe integrity breach that could directly impact patient safety, regulatory compliance, and the overall integrity of clinical trial data. Healthcare organizations rely heavily on the accuracy and consistency of their safety data systems, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous in environments where patient safety data directly influences treatment decisions and regulatory submissions.
Organizations should implement multiple layers of mitigation strategies to address this vulnerability, including network segmentation to limit access to the affected Oracle Argus Safety systems, implementation of robust network monitoring to detect unauthorized HTTP access attempts, and immediate application of Oracle's security patches. The vulnerability's requirement for human interaction suggests that user education and awareness programs should be strengthened to prevent social engineering attacks that could initiate exploitation. Network access controls should be implemented to restrict HTTP access to only authorized personnel, while regular security audits should verify that authentication mechanisms are properly configured and functioning. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing intrusion detection systems specifically configured to monitor for patterns consistent with this vulnerability's exploitation methods, as outlined in the ATT&CK framework's techniques for credential access and privilege escalation. The remediation process should include comprehensive testing of the patched systems to ensure that the vulnerability is fully resolved without introducing new security issues, while maintaining detailed logs of all access attempts to support forensic analysis if future incidents occur.