CVE-2019-2852 in Outside In Technology
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the Oracle Outside In Technology component of Oracle Fusion Middleware (subcomponent: Outside In Filters). The supported version that is affected is 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 update, insert or delete access to some of Oracle Outside In Technology accessible data as well as 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 7.3 (Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/06/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-2852 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 document formats. This specific flaw affects version 8.5.4 of the Outside In Filters subcomponent, which serves as the core processing engine for handling document conversions and data extraction. The vulnerability represents a significant security weakness that can be exploited by unauthenticated attackers without requiring any prior access credentials or privileges, making it particularly dangerous in production environments where network exposure is common. The affected technology is widely deployed across enterprise systems for document processing, making this vulnerability a prime target for malicious actors seeking to compromise sensitive data and system integrity.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and processing within the Outside In Technology filters, which creates opportunities for attackers to inject malicious payloads through HTTP network connections. The flaw allows for unauthorized modification of data within the system through update, insert, or delete operations against accessible data stores, while simultaneously enabling unauthorized read access to sensitive information contained within the system's data repositories. Additionally, successful exploitation can result in partial denial of service conditions that disrupt normal operational functionality. The vulnerability's exploitability is rated as easily accessible due to the lack of authentication requirements and the use of standard HTTP protocols for exploitation, which means that attackers can leverage common network reconnaissance tools and techniques to identify and exploit affected systems without specialized access credentials. The CVSS 3.0 scoring system assigns a base score of 7.3, indicating high severity across all impact vectors including confidentiality, integrity, and availability, with the attack vector classified as network-based (AV:N), low complexity (AC:L), and no privileges required (PR:N).
The operational impact of CVE-2019-2852 extends beyond immediate data compromise to encompass broader system availability and integrity concerns that can severely affect enterprise operations. Organizations utilizing Oracle Fusion Middleware with Outside In Technology components face potential exposure of sensitive business documents, financial records, and proprietary information that may be accessible through the vulnerability. The partial denial of service component of this vulnerability can disrupt critical business processes that depend on document processing capabilities, potentially causing cascading failures throughout enterprise applications that rely on these technologies. The vulnerability's characteristics align with CWE-20, which describes improper input validation, and can be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1059 for command and control through application layer exploitation. Organizations that have not patched this vulnerability remain at risk of advanced persistent threats where attackers can establish persistent access to document processing systems and gradually expand their foothold within the enterprise network. The CVSS vector analysis indicates that the actual risk assessment may vary depending on how the software integrates with network protocols, as systems that do not directly pass network data to the affected code may present lower risk profiles, but this requires careful analysis of specific deployment configurations and integration patterns.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2019-2852 should prioritize immediate patch deployment from Oracle, which provides the most effective protection against exploitation attempts. Organizations should implement network segmentation to limit access to systems running Outside In Technology components, particularly those exposed to untrusted networks or internet-facing services. Access controls and authentication mechanisms should be strengthened for any systems that process sensitive documents, even when direct network exposure is reduced. Regular vulnerability scanning and penetration testing should be conducted to identify additional exposure points within the document processing pipeline, while network monitoring tools should be configured to detect unusual patterns of HTTP traffic that may indicate exploitation attempts. Security teams should also consider implementing data loss prevention measures that monitor for unauthorized data access patterns and establish incident response procedures specifically tailored to address exploitation of document processing vulnerabilities. The remediation process should include comprehensive testing of patches in non-production environments before deployment to ensure that critical business applications continue to function properly after security updates are applied, as document processing systems often contain complex integration points that may be affected by security patches.