CVE-2019-2473 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-2019-2473 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 and manipulate various file formats. This specific flaw affects versions 8.5.3 and 8.5.4 of the Outside In Filters subcomponent, which serves as the foundation for handling document processing operations across numerous enterprise applications. The vulnerability operates at the protocol level where network-based attacks can exploit the underlying code without requiring authentication, making it particularly dangerous for systems that expose this functionality over HTTP connections. The security implications extend beyond simple access control as the flaw represents a fundamental weakness in how the technology handles incoming data streams, creating potential for system-wide disruption.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation within the Outside In Technology processing engine, specifically within the filter mechanisms that handle document parsing operations. When network traffic containing malformed or maliciously crafted data reaches the affected systems, the processing code fails to properly sanitize or validate the incoming information before attempting to parse it. This leads to a condition where the processing engine becomes vulnerable to controlled inputs that can trigger memory corruption or resource exhaustion states. The flaw manifests as a deterministic crash pattern that can be repeatedly triggered by an attacker, effectively creating a reliable denial of service condition that can be exploited without any authentication requirements. The vulnerability's classification as easily exploitable indicates that the attack surface is broad and the techniques required to trigger the condition are straightforward, making it particularly attractive to threat actors seeking to disrupt services.
From an operational perspective, successful exploitation of CVE-2019-2473 can result in complete system downtime or service disruption that affects the availability of Oracle Fusion Middleware applications. The vulnerability's impact extends to any application that relies on Outside In Technology for document processing, potentially affecting enterprise content management systems, email servers, document repositories, and other applications that depend on this technology for file format conversion and processing. The CVSS score of 7.5 reflects the severity of the availability impact, with the vector indicating network-based access with low complexity and no privileges required. Organizations using affected versions face significant operational risk as the vulnerability can be leveraged to create sustained service interruptions that may require system restarts or complete application reconfiguration to resolve. The protocol-specific nature of the vulnerability means that systems which pass network-received data directly to the Outside In Technology code are at highest risk, while those that preprocess or validate data before transmission may experience reduced impact.
Organizations should prioritize immediate remediation through Oracle's official patch releases for versions 8.5.3 and 8.5.4 of Oracle Fusion Middleware, as these updates contain the necessary code modifications to address the input validation weaknesses. Network segmentation and access controls should be implemented to limit exposure of affected systems to untrusted networks, while monitoring should be established to detect potential exploitation attempts through unusual traffic patterns or system resource consumption. The vulnerability's alignment with CWE-129 and CWE-131 categories indicates it relates to insufficient input validation and improper handling of buffer sizes, while its operational characteristics correspond to ATT&CK techniques involving denial of service and system compromise. Additional defensive measures include implementing application firewalls, deploying intrusion detection systems, and establishing incident response procedures specifically tailored to handle potential exploitation attempts. Given the vulnerability's potential for widespread impact across enterprise environments, organizations should also consider conducting comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify all systems that may be utilizing the affected Outside In Technology components.