CVE-2020-14719 in Internet Expenses
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the Oracle Internet Expenses product of Oracle E-Business Suite (component: Mobile Expenses Admin Utilities). Supported versions that are affected are 12.2.4-12.2.9. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows low privileged attacker with network access via HTTP to compromise Oracle Internet Expenses. While the vulnerability is in Oracle Internet Expenses, attacks may significantly impact additional products. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized creation, deletion or modification access to critical data or all Oracle Internet Expenses accessible data. CVSS 3.1 Base Score 7.7 (Integrity impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:H/A:N).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/31/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-14719 represents a critical integrity flaw within Oracle Internet Expenses module of the Oracle E-Business Suite ecosystem. This weakness specifically resides in the Mobile Expenses Admin Utilities component and affects a broad range of supported versions from 12.2.4 through 12.2.9. The vulnerability classification as easily exploitable indicates that attackers can leverage relatively simple attack vectors to gain unauthorized access, making it particularly dangerous for organizations relying on this financial management system. The attack surface is expanded by the fact that this vulnerability impacts not only the targeted module but can also compromise additional interconnected products within the Oracle E-Business Suite environment, creating cascading security risks that extend beyond the initial attack vector.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient access controls and authentication mechanisms within the Mobile Expenses Admin Utilities component. Attackers with low privilege levels and network access via HTTP protocols can exploit this weakness to perform unauthorized modifications to critical data within the Oracle Internet Expenses system. The CVSS 3.1 scoring of 7.7 reflects the significant integrity impact potential, where attackers can create, delete, or modify sensitive financial data without proper authorization. The vulnerability's characteristics align with CWE-284 (Improper Access Control) and potentially CWE-311 (Missing Encryption of Sensitive Data) depending on the specific implementation details. The attack vector requires network access through HTTP, suggesting that the vulnerability may stem from inadequate input validation or session management in the web interface components that handle expense administrative functions.
The operational impact of CVE-2020-14719 extends far beyond simple data integrity concerns, potentially enabling attackers to manipulate financial records, alter expense reports, and compromise the entire expense management workflow within organizations using Oracle E-Business Suite. This vulnerability poses significant risks to financial controls and audit trails, as unauthorized modifications to expense data could go undetected for extended periods. Organizations may face regulatory compliance issues, financial losses, and reputational damage if attackers exploit this vulnerability to manipulate expense records or create fraudulent entries. The CVSS vector indicates that the attack can occur over a network with low complexity and requires only low privileges, making it particularly attractive to threat actors who may already have limited access to the system. The potential for additional product impacts (S:C) suggests that successful exploitation could affect other Oracle applications within the suite, potentially creating broader system compromise scenarios.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the relevant Oracle security patches and updates released for this vulnerability, which would address the underlying access control weaknesses in the Mobile Expenses Admin Utilities component. Network segmentation and firewall rules should be configured to restrict access to the Oracle Internet Expenses interfaces, particularly limiting HTTP access to authorized administrative users only. Implementing additional authentication layers such as multi-factor authentication for administrative functions would significantly reduce the risk of unauthorized access. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual patterns in expense data modifications, and regular vulnerability assessments should be conducted to identify similar weaknesses in other Oracle E-Business Suite components. The vulnerability's characteristics align with ATT&CK techniques involving privilege escalation and credential access, making it essential for organizations to review their defensive measures against these attack patterns. Additionally, implementing proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the web interfaces would help prevent similar vulnerabilities from emerging in other components of the Oracle E-Business Suite environment.