CVE-2019-2471 in PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools component of Oracle PeopleSoft Products (subcomponent: Portal). 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 CVE-2019-2471 vulnerability represents a critical security flaw within Oracle PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools, specifically affecting the Portal subcomponent. This vulnerability impacts widely deployed versions 8.55, 8.56, and 8.57, making it particularly concerning for organizations relying on these platforms. The vulnerability's classification as easily exploitable indicates that attackers can leverage network-based HTTP access to compromise the system without requiring authentication credentials. The security implications extend beyond the immediate PeopleTools component, as successful exploitation can potentially affect additional Oracle products within the ecosystem, creating cascading security risks for enterprise environments.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient access controls within the PeopleSoft Portal functionality, allowing unauthenticated attackers to perform unauthorized operations against the underlying data repositories. The CVSS 3.0 score of 6.1 reflects the moderate severity of the threat, with confidentiality and integrity impacts rated as low but significant. Attackers can achieve unauthorized update, insert, or delete operations on specific data accessible through PeopleTools, while also gaining unauthorized read access to subsets of sensitive information. The vulnerability requires human interaction from users other than the attacker, suggesting that social engineering or user manipulation may be necessary to trigger the exploit, though the underlying technical flaw remains accessible to network-based attacks.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates substantial risk for organizations managing sensitive enterprise data through PeopleSoft platforms. The ability to perform unauthorized data modifications without authentication represents a serious breach of data integrity controls, while the read access capabilities could expose confidential business information, financial data, or proprietary content. The impact extends beyond immediate data compromise, as the vulnerability's potential to affect additional products within the Oracle ecosystem means that a single exploitation could create broader security incidents across multiple systems. Organizations utilizing these PeopleTools versions face significant exposure risk, particularly in environments where proper network segmentation and access controls may not be fully implemented.
Security mitigations for CVE-2019-2471 should prioritize immediate patch deployment from Oracle, as this represents the most effective defense against the vulnerability. Organizations should implement network-based controls such as firewalls and access control lists to restrict HTTP access to PeopleTools components, particularly when the vulnerability cannot be immediately patched. Additionally, monitoring for suspicious network activity and implementing intrusion detection systems can help identify potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 (Improper Access Control) and relates to ATT&CK techniques involving privilege escalation and data manipulation. Organizations should also conduct comprehensive risk assessments to identify all systems running affected PeopleTools versions and implement layered security approaches including network segmentation, privileged access management, and regular security audits to prevent exploitation attempts.