CVE-2019-2772 in PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools component of Oracle PeopleSoft Products (subcomponent: Activity Guide). 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 • 07/06/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-2772 resides within the PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools component, specifically within the Activity Guide subcomponent of Oracle PeopleSoft Products. This security flaw affects multiple supported versions including 8.55, 8.56, and 8.57, representing a significant risk to organizations utilizing these enterprise applications. The vulnerability's classification as easily exploitable indicates that malicious actors can readily leverage this weakness without requiring specialized tools or extensive technical knowledge, making it particularly dangerous in production environments where such systems handle sensitive business data.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation within the Activity Guide functionality, which allows attackers to manipulate HTTP requests and potentially gain unauthorized access to the underlying PeopleTools infrastructure. The CVSS 3.0 scoring system assigns this vulnerability a base score of 6.1, reflecting moderate severity with specific impacts to both confidentiality and integrity. The attack vector is network-based requiring only HTTP access, while the low attack complexity and lack of required privileges make exploitation straightforward. The vulnerability requires human interaction from users other than the attacker, suggesting that social engineering or user manipulation may be necessary to initiate the attack, though the actual exploitation occurs through network-based means.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond the immediate PeopleTools component to potentially affect additional products within the Oracle PeopleSoft ecosystem. Successful exploitation can result in unauthorized modification of data through update, insert, and delete operations, while also enabling unauthorized read access to sensitive information. This dual impact on both data integrity and confidentiality represents a significant threat to enterprise security posture. The vulnerability's potential to compromise multiple systems within the PeopleSoft environment means that a single exploitation event could lead to widespread data exposure and manipulation across various business processes.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including network segmentation to limit access to PeopleTools components, application-level firewalls to monitor and control HTTP traffic, and regular security updates to patch vulnerable versions. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation) and falls within ATT&CK technique T1190 (Exploit Public-Facing Application) and T1071.004 (Application Layer Protocol: DNS) when considering the network-based attack vectors. Given the CVSS vector AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N, the risk assessment indicates that while no user authentication is required, human interaction is necessary, making this vulnerability particularly concerning for organizations with less security-aware user populations. The attack scenario typically involves an attacker crafting malicious HTTP requests that exploit the validation gaps in the Activity Guide functionality, potentially leading to unauthorized database modifications and data exfiltration.