CVE-2020-2587 in Human Resources
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the Oracle Human Resources product of Oracle E-Business Suite (component: Hierarchy Diagrammers). Supported versions that are affected are 12.1.1-12.1.3 and 12.2.3-12.2.9. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows low privileged attacker with network access via HTTPS to compromise Oracle Human Resources. While the vulnerability is in Oracle Human Resources, 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 Human Resources accessible data as well as unauthorized access to critical data or complete access to all Oracle Human Resources accessible data and unauthorized ability to cause a partial denial of service (partial DOS) of Oracle Human Resources. CVSS 3.0 Base Score 9.9 (Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:L).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/21/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-2587 resides within Oracle Human Resources functionality of the Oracle E-Business Suite, specifically affecting the Hierarchy Diagrammers component. This weakness manifests in versions 12.1.1 through 12.1.3 and 12.2.3 through 12.2.9, representing a critical security gap that enables attackers to compromise the system through network-based HTTPS connections. The vulnerability's classification as easily exploitable indicates that minimal technical expertise is required to leverage this flaw, making it particularly dangerous in environments where unauthorized access could occur. The attack vector through HTTPS suggests that this vulnerability can be exploited remotely without requiring physical access to the system.
The technical flaw in this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and access control mechanisms within the Hierarchy Diagrammers functionality. This weakness allows a low-privileged attacker to manipulate the system's behavior through crafted requests that bypass normal authorization checks. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond the immediate Human Resources module, potentially affecting interconnected Oracle E-Business Suite components that share data or functionality with the vulnerable system. This cascading effect aligns with the CVSS score's consideration of a scope change, where the vulnerability's exploitation can impact additional products within the Oracle ecosystem.
Security implications of this vulnerability are severe and multifaceted, encompassing all three pillars of the CIA triad. The confidentiality impact is rated as high, indicating unauthorized access to critical data and complete access to all Oracle Human Resources accessible data, potentially exposing sensitive employee information, payroll details, and other confidential business data. The integrity impact is equally concerning, as attackers can create, delete, or modify critical data, potentially corrupting essential business information or altering employee records. The availability impact includes the potential for partial denial of service, which could disrupt business operations and prevent legitimate users from accessing essential Human Resources functionality.
The CVSS 3.0 base score of 9.9 reflects the critical nature of this vulnerability, with the attack complexity being low and the privileges required for exploitation being minimal. The vector notation CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:L demonstrates that network-based attacks require low complexity, only low privileges, and no user interaction, while the scope change indicates the potential for broader impact across multiple Oracle products. This vulnerability directly maps to CWE-284 (Improper Access Control) and aligns with ATT&CK techniques related to privilege escalation and data manipulation. Organizations should consider implementing network segmentation, robust access controls, and regular security assessments to mitigate risks associated with this vulnerability.
Mitigation strategies should include immediate patching of affected Oracle E-Business Suite versions, implementation of network-based access controls to limit HTTPS access to trusted sources, and enhanced monitoring of system access logs for suspicious activities. Security teams should also consider disabling unnecessary features, implementing multi-factor authentication for privileged accounts, and establishing regular vulnerability scanning procedures. The affected systems should be prioritized for immediate remediation as the vulnerability's ease of exploitation and high impact score indicate that it should be addressed before other less critical vulnerabilities. Organizations should also review their incident response procedures to ensure rapid detection and response to potential exploitation attempts of this vulnerability.