CVE-2020-2882 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 HTTP to compromise Oracle Human Resources. 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. CVSS 3.0 Base Score 8.1 (Confidentiality and Integrity impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/21/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-2882 represents a critical security flaw within Oracle E-Business Suite's Human Resources module, specifically affecting the Hierarchy Diagrammers component. This vulnerability exists in multiple version ranges including 12.1.1 through 12.1.3 and 12.2.3 through 12.2.9, making it a widespread concern for organizations utilizing these Oracle E-Business Suite releases. The flaw manifests as an easily exploitable weakness that can be leveraged by low privileged attackers who gain network access through HTTP protocols, significantly expanding the attack surface for potential compromise.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and access control mechanisms within the Hierarchy Diagrammers functionality. Attackers can exploit this weakness to perform unauthorized operations on the underlying Oracle Human Resources database, including creating, deleting, or modifying critical data elements. The vulnerability's CVSS 3.0 base score of 8.1 reflects its serious impact on both confidentiality and integrity aspects of the affected system, with the vector AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N indicating network-based exploitation requiring low privileges but resulting in high impact on both data confidentiality and integrity. This aligns with CWE-284 which addresses improper access control vulnerabilities and represents a classic example of insufficient authorization checks in web applications.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data manipulation to potentially compromise complete system integrity and data confidentiality. Successful exploitation allows attackers to access all Oracle Human Resources accessible data, including sensitive employee information, payroll records, and organizational hierarchy data. The vulnerability's ability to enable unauthorized creation, deletion, or modification of critical data directly violates fundamental security principles of data integrity and access control. Organizations utilizing affected Oracle E-Business Suite versions face significant risk of data breaches, regulatory compliance violations, and potential financial losses due to unauthorized access to sensitive human resources information. The vulnerability's classification as easily exploitable means that attackers with minimal technical expertise can potentially compromise systems, making this threat particularly dangerous for enterprise environments.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the relevant Oracle security patches and updates released in their January 2020 critical patch update. Network segmentation and firewall rules should be implemented to restrict access to the affected Oracle E-Business Suite components, particularly limiting HTTP access to trusted networks and IP addresses. Additional security measures include implementing strong authentication controls, monitoring network traffic for suspicious HTTP requests targeting the Hierarchy Diagrammers component, and conducting comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify other potential attack vectors within the Oracle E-Business Suite environment. The vulnerability's characteristics align with ATT&CK technique T1078 which covers valid accounts and privilege escalation, as the low privilege requirements combined with network access create a pathway for attackers to gain unauthorized access to sensitive organizational data through legitimate application interfaces.