CVE-2020-14626 in Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition product of Oracle Fusion Middleware (component: Analytics Web General). Supported versions that are affected are 5.5.0.0.0, 11.1.1.9.0, 12.2.1.3.0 and 12.2.1.4.0. Difficult to exploit vulnerability allows unauthenticated attacker with network access via HTTP to compromise Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in takeover of Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition. CVSS 3.1 Base Score 8.1 (Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/01/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-14626 represents a critical security flaw within Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition, specifically within the Analytics Web General component of Oracle Fusion Middleware. This vulnerability affects multiple version lines including 5.5.0.0.0, 11.1.1.9.0, 12.2.1.3.0, and 12.2.1.4.0, indicating a widespread impact across the product's lifecycle. The vulnerability's classification as difficult to exploit suggests that while the attack vector requires some technical sophistication, the potential consequences remain severe enough to warrant immediate attention from security practitioners.
The technical nature of this vulnerability lies in its ability to allow unauthenticated attackers to gain access to the Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition through HTTP network connections. This represents a significant weakness in the authentication and authorization mechanisms of the system, as the flaw does not require any valid credentials or prior access to the system to be exploited. The CVSS 3.1 score of 8.1 places this vulnerability in the high severity category, with equal impact scores across confidentiality, integrity, and availability, indicating that successful exploitation could result in complete system compromise.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple data theft, as successful exploitation can lead to full takeover of the Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition system. This comprehensive compromise means that attackers could potentially access sensitive business intelligence data, modify analytical reports, disrupt business operations, and establish persistent access points within the organization's infrastructure. The availability impact suggests that attackers could also render the business intelligence platform unusable, causing significant disruption to business analytics and reporting capabilities.
From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-287 (Improper Authentication) and represents a prime example of how weak authentication mechanisms can lead to complete system compromise. The attack pattern follows typical ATT&CK techniques for initial access and privilege escalation, where attackers leverage network-based vulnerabilities to gain unauthorized access before potentially expanding their foothold within the enterprise environment. Organizations should consider implementing network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure, while also ensuring that all affected systems are promptly patched according to Oracle's security advisories.
The CVSS vector (AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) indicates that this vulnerability is accessible over the network with high attack complexity, requires no privileges, and does not need user interaction, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited automatically by threat actors scanning for vulnerable systems. The universal scope (S:U) means that the impact affects the entire system rather than being limited to specific components or users, amplifying the potential damage from a single successful exploitation attempt. Security teams should prioritize immediate assessment of all affected systems and implementation of appropriate mitigations to prevent unauthorized access and potential data breaches.