CVE-2019-2931 in PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools product of Oracle PeopleSoft (component: Portal). Supported versions that are affected are 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 • 01/15/2024
The CVE-2019-2931 vulnerability represents a significant security flaw within Oracle PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools, specifically affecting the Portal component. This vulnerability exists in versions 8.56 and 8.57, making it particularly concerning as these are widely deployed enterprise applications. The flaw manifests as an easily exploitable weakness that allows unauthenticated attackers to compromise the system through HTTP network access, requiring minimal technical prerequisites for exploitation. The vulnerability's classification as easily exploitable indicates that attackers can leverage it without requiring specialized skills or extensive preparation, making it a critical concern for organizations relying on PeopleSoft implementations.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient authentication mechanisms within the Portal component of PeopleTools, creating an attack surface that permits unauthorized access to sensitive data and system operations. The CVSS 3.0 score of 6.1 reflects the moderate severity of the threat, with specific impacts categorized as confidentiality and integrity. The vulnerability's vector indicates network-based access with low attack complexity and no privilege requirements, though it does necessitate human interaction from users other than the attacker. This human interaction component suggests that the exploitation may involve social engineering elements or require users to perform specific actions that inadvertently facilitate the attack, potentially through phishing or other deceptive means.
The operational impact of CVE-2019-2931 extends beyond the immediate PeopleTools component, as successful exploitation can compromise additional products within the PeopleSoft ecosystem. Attackers can gain unauthorized update, insert, or delete access to specific data within the PeopleTools environment, along with unauthorized read access to subsets of accessible data. This multi-faceted impact creates substantial risk for organizations as the vulnerability can potentially expose sensitive business information and allow modification of critical system data. The confidentiality and integrity impacts align with CWE-287, which addresses authentication failures, and the broader category of CWE-312, which covers exposure of sensitive information. The vulnerability's potential to significantly impact additional products demonstrates the interconnected nature of enterprise applications and the cascading effects that can occur when a single component is compromised.
Organizations must implement comprehensive mitigation strategies to address this vulnerability, including immediate patching of affected versions to 8.58 or later, which would contain the security flaw. Network segmentation and access controls should be strengthened to limit exposure, particularly for the Portal component. Monitoring and logging mechanisms should be enhanced to detect unauthorized access attempts, with particular attention to HTTP traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability's requirement for human interaction suggests that user education and awareness programs should be implemented to prevent social engineering attacks that might exploit this weakness. Additionally, implementing network-based intrusion detection systems and conducting regular security assessments will help identify and remediate potential exploitation attempts before they can cause significant damage to the organization's PeopleSoft infrastructure and associated business processes.