CVE-2019-2468 in Outside In Technology
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the Oracle Outside In Technology component of Oracle Fusion Middleware (subcomponent: Outside In Filters). Supported versions that are affected are 8.5.3 and 8.5.4. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows unauthenticated attacker with network access via HTTP to compromise Oracle Outside In Technology. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized ability to cause a hang or frequently repeatable crash (complete DOS) of Oracle Outside In Technology. Note: Outside In Technology is a suite of software development kits (SDKs). The protocol and CVSS score depend on the software that uses the Outside In Technology code. The CVSS score assumes that the software passes data received over a network directly to Outside In Technology code, but if data is not received over a network the CVSS score may be lower. CVSS 3.0 Base Score 7.5 (Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/27/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-2468 resides within Oracle Outside In Technology, a critical component of Oracle Fusion Middleware that functions as a suite of software development kits enabling applications to process various document formats. This specific flaw manifests in the Outside In Filters subcomponent and affects Oracle Fusion Middleware versions 8.5.3 and 8.5.4, representing a significant security weakness that can be exploited without authentication. The vulnerability operates through HTTP network access, making it particularly dangerous as it requires no prior authorization to exploit, and the attack surface extends to any application that utilizes the affected Outside In Technology code within its processing pipeline.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation within the Outside In Filters processing mechanism, which creates a condition where malformed or specially crafted data can trigger a denial of service scenario. When network data is passed directly to the affected code, the vulnerability can cause complete system hangs or repeated crashes that effectively render the Oracle Outside In Technology inoperable. This behavior aligns with CWE-121, which addresses stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and the vulnerability's impact demonstrates characteristics consistent with a complete denial of service attack pattern. The flaw essentially allows an attacker to manipulate the processing flow of documents through the SDK, causing the underlying systems to become unresponsive or crash repeatedly.
The operational impact of CVE-2019-2468 extends beyond simple service disruption, as it can severely compromise the availability of systems that depend on Oracle Fusion Middleware for document processing capabilities. Organizations utilizing applications built with Outside In Technology SDKs face potential business disruption when this vulnerability is exploited, particularly in environments where document handling is critical such as enterprise content management systems, automated processing pipelines, or any application that relies on document conversion and manipulation services. The CVSS 3.0 score of 7.5 reflects the high availability impact, indicating that successful exploitation can completely disable the affected technology and potentially cascade to dependent systems that rely on document processing capabilities. The vulnerability's network accessibility means that attackers can potentially target these systems from external networks without requiring any authentication credentials.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2019-2468 should prioritize immediate patching of affected Oracle Fusion Middleware installations to version 8.5.5 or later, which contains the necessary security fixes. Organizations should also implement network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure of systems running affected versions, particularly those with direct network access to Oracle Outside In Technology interfaces. The implementation of input validation controls and data sanitization measures within applications that utilize the SDK can provide additional protection layers. Security monitoring should include detection of unusual patterns in document processing requests that might indicate exploitation attempts. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1499.004 (Endpoint Denial of Service) and T1203 (Exploitation for Client Execution) categories, as it enables attackers to perform denial of service attacks through exploitation of client-side processing components. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing network-based intrusion detection systems to monitor for exploitation attempts and maintain comprehensive incident response procedures that account for potential denial of service scenarios affecting core document processing capabilities.