CVE-2019-2611 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 read access to a subset of Oracle Outside In Technology accessible data and 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 6.5 (Confidentiality and Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:L).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/01/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-2611 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, which handles the parsing and processing of external files, making it a prime target for exploitation. The affected versions 8.5.3 and 8.5.4 represent widely deployed configurations across enterprise environments where document processing capabilities are essential for business operations. The vulnerability's classification as easily exploitable indicates that attackers require minimal prerequisites to launch successful attacks, typically limited to network access through HTTP protocols without requiring authentication credentials or privileged access levels.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation within the Outside In Filters processing logic, creating opportunities for attackers to manipulate file parsing operations through maliciously crafted input data. This flaw enables unauthorized access to sensitive data within the affected system's scope, specifically allowing read operations on a subset of accessible Oracle Outside In Technology data. Additionally, the vulnerability can be leveraged to execute partial denial of service attacks that disrupt normal operational capabilities of the targeted system. The CVSS 3.0 scoring of 6.5 reflects the balanced impact across confidentiality and availability aspects, with the vector AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:L indicating network-based exploitation with low attack complexity, no privileges required, and no user interaction needed. The vulnerability's impact is particularly concerning because it operates at the core processing layer of document handling capabilities, potentially affecting any application that relies on Oracle Outside In Technology for file format processing.
The operational implications of CVE-2019-2611 extend beyond simple data exposure, as the vulnerability can be weaponized to compromise entire document processing pipelines within affected organizations. Attackers can leverage this weakness to gain unauthorized access to sensitive documents, configuration files, or system information that may contain proprietary data or intellectual property. The partial denial of service component of this vulnerability can significantly disrupt business operations by causing intermittent processing failures or complete system unavailability for document handling tasks. Organizations utilizing Oracle Fusion Middleware in critical business processes face substantial risk, as the vulnerability can be exploited to undermine data integrity and system availability simultaneously. The attack surface is particularly broad since Outside In Technology is integrated into numerous Oracle applications and third-party solutions that depend on its document processing capabilities, making the potential impact widespread across enterprise environments.
Security mitigations for this vulnerability should prioritize immediate patch deployment from Oracle, as the vendor has released security updates specifically addressing this flaw. Organizations should implement network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure of affected systems to untrusted networks, reducing the attack surface available to potential adversaries. The principle of least privilege should be enforced when configuring Oracle Outside In Technology components, ensuring that processing capabilities are restricted to only necessary applications and users. Network monitoring and intrusion detection systems should be enhanced to detect anomalous file processing patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, organizations should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify all systems utilizing affected versions of Oracle Fusion Middleware and prioritize remediation efforts based on risk exposure. The mitigation strategy should also include implementing proper input validation controls at application layers that interface with Outside In Technology, providing additional defense-in-depth measures against exploitation attempts. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation) and represents a significant concern under the ATT&CK framework's initial access and persistence phases, where adversaries can establish footholds through network-based exploitation techniques.