CVE-2019-2478 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 partial denial of service (partial 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 5.3 (Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/28/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-2478 resides within Oracle Outside In Technology, a critical component of Oracle Fusion Middleware that serves as a suite of software development kits enabling applications to process various document formats. This specific flaw affects versions 8.5.3 and 8.5.4 of the Outside In Filters subcomponent, which handles document processing and conversion tasks. The vulnerability represents a significant security weakness that can be exploited by unauthenticated attackers without requiring any special privileges or user interaction, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where such middleware components are extensively deployed.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation within the Outside In Technology processing pipeline, specifically when handling HTTP requests containing malformed or specially crafted data. This weakness allows attackers to inject malicious content that can disrupt the normal operation of the processing engine, leading to partial denial of service conditions. The vulnerability operates at the protocol level where network data is directly passed to the Outside In Technology code without adequate sanitization or validation, creating an attack surface that can be exploited through standard HTTP network connections. According to CVSS 3.0 scoring methodology, this vulnerability is rated at 5.3 with a base score indicating low attack complexity, no privilege requirements, and no user interaction needed, with availability impact being the primary concern.
The operational impact of CVE-2019-2478 extends beyond simple service disruption, as it can severely compromise the reliability and availability of systems that depend on Oracle Fusion Middleware for document processing capabilities. Organizations utilizing this technology for critical business functions such as document management, content processing, or data extraction may experience partial service outages that directly affect productivity and operational continuity. The vulnerability's exploitation can result in partial denial of service conditions where specific processing functions become unavailable while the overall system may remain operational, making detection and remediation more challenging. This type of vulnerability aligns with CWE-20, which describes improper input validation, and represents a classic example of how insufficient validation in processing components can lead to availability impacts in enterprise software stacks.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should prioritize immediate remediation through Oracle's official security patches and updates, as the vulnerability's low attack complexity and lack of authentication requirements make it particularly attractive to threat actors. Network segmentation and access controls should be implemented to limit exposure of affected systems, while monitoring should be enhanced to detect potential exploitation attempts. The CVSS vector indicates that the actual risk assessment should consider whether data processing occurs over network connections, as non-network data handling may present lower risk scenarios. Security teams should also evaluate their overall software supply chain and document processing workflows to understand potential indirect impacts that may not be immediately apparent from the vulnerability description alone, ensuring comprehensive protection against similar threats that may exist in related components or dependencies within the Oracle Fusion Middleware ecosystem.