CVE-2020-14566 in Primavera Portfolio Management
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the Primavera Portfolio Management product of Oracle Construction and Engineering (component: Web Access). Supported versions that are affected are 16.1.0.0-16.1.5.1, 18.0.0.0-18.0.2.0 and 19.0.0.0. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows unauthenticated attacker with network access via HTTP to compromise Primavera Portfolio Management. Successful attacks require human interaction from a person other than the attacker. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized update, insert or delete access to some of Primavera Portfolio Management accessible data. CVSS 3.1 Base Score 4.3 (Integrity impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/31/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-14566 represents a significant security flaw within Oracle Construction and Engineering's Primavera Portfolio Management platform, specifically within its Web Access component. This vulnerability affects multiple version ranges including 16.1.0.0 through 16.1.5.1, 18.0.0.0 through 18.0.2.0, and 19.0.0.0, indicating a widespread impact across the product's lifecycle. The vulnerability classification as easily exploitable suggests that attackers can leverage this weakness without requiring specialized tools or extensive technical knowledge, making it particularly dangerous in production environments where such systems are often exposed to external networks.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient authentication mechanisms within the web access layer of Primavera Portfolio Management, allowing unauthenticated attackers to gain access to system resources through standard HTTP network connections. The CVSS 3.1 scoring system rates this vulnerability with a base score of 4.3, which falls into the medium severity category, with the integrity impact vector specifically highlighted as critical. This scoring indicates that while the vulnerability does not directly enable complete system compromise or data theft, it does permit unauthorized modification of system data through update, insert, or delete operations. The attack vector requires network access via HTTP and necessitates human interaction from users other than the attacker, suggesting that social engineering or targeted user manipulation might be required to facilitate successful exploitation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data integrity concerns, as it creates potential pathways for attackers to manipulate project management data, alter resource allocations, or modify critical project timelines within Primavera Portfolio Management systems. This could severely disrupt project planning processes and compromise the reliability of project data that organizations depend upon for decision-making. Organizations utilizing this software may experience cascading effects where unauthorized data modifications lead to incorrect project scheduling, budget miscalculations, or resource misallocations that can impact entire business operations. The vulnerability's ability to affect multiple version ranges suggests that organizations across different deployment scenarios may be simultaneously at risk, requiring comprehensive assessment and remediation efforts.
Organizations should prioritize immediate implementation of security patches provided by Oracle to address this vulnerability, as the ease of exploitation and potential for unauthorized data modification makes this a critical security concern. Network segmentation and access controls should be strengthened to limit exposure of the affected systems, while monitoring should be enhanced to detect any suspicious activities that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-287, which addresses improper authentication issues, and represents a potential entry point for attackers following the ATT&CK tactic of Persistence through credential compromise or unauthorized access. Regular vulnerability assessments and security audits should be conducted to identify similar weaknesses in related systems and ensure comprehensive protection of project management infrastructure.