CVE-2019-2442 in PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools component of Oracle PeopleSoft Products (subcomponent: Fluid Core). 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-2019-2442 resides within the PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools component, specifically within the Fluid Core subcomponent of Oracle PeopleSoft Products. This weakness affects multiple supported versions including 8.55, 8.56, and 8.57, representing a significant attack surface for malicious actors targeting enterprise financial and human resources systems. The vulnerability's classification as easily exploitable indicates that attackers can leverage standard network-based HTTP protocols to gain unauthorized access to the affected systems without requiring authentication credentials, making it particularly dangerous in environments where network exposure is common.
The technical flaw manifests as a lack of proper access controls within the Fluid Core functionality, allowing unauthenticated attackers to perform unauthorized operations against the PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools. This vulnerability operates through HTTP network access and requires only minimal network connectivity to exploit, with the CVSS 3.0 base score of 6.1 indicating a moderate to high risk level. The attack vector requires network access from an external attacker, with low attack complexity and no privilege requirements, though it does necessitate human interaction from users other than the attacker, suggesting potential social engineering components or user-specific triggers. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond the immediate PeopleTools component, potentially affecting additional products within the PeopleSoft ecosystem, demonstrating the interconnected nature of enterprise applications.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is substantial, as successful exploitation enables attackers to execute unauthorized update, insert, or delete operations against sensitive data within PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools. Additionally, attackers can achieve unauthorized read access to a subset of accessible data, creating potential for both data integrity compromise and confidentiality breaches. The CVSS vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N) clearly indicates that this vulnerability affects both confidentiality and integrity aspects of the security triad, with the scope being constrained to the affected component but with potential for cascading effects across connected systems. This vulnerability represents a critical weakness in enterprise application security, particularly in environments where PeopleSoft systems handle sensitive financial and personnel data.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including network segmentation to limit access to PeopleSoft systems, deployment of web application firewalls to monitor and filter HTTP traffic, and implementation of robust access controls and monitoring systems to detect unauthorized activities. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 (Improper Access Control) and represents a classic example of insufficient authorization checks in enterprise web applications. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving initial access through network services and privilege escalation through data manipulation. Regular security assessments, patch management procedures, and user awareness training should be implemented to reduce the attack surface and prevent exploitation of this and similar vulnerabilities in the PeopleSoft environment.