CVE-2020-2932 in Knowledge
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the Oracle Knowledge product of Oracle Knowledge (component: Information Manager Console). Supported versions that are affected are 8.6.0-8.6.3. Difficult to exploit vulnerability allows unauthenticated attacker with network access via HTTP to compromise Oracle Knowledge. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized ability to cause a hang or frequently repeatable crash (complete DOS) of Oracle Knowledge. CVSS 3.0 Base Score 5.9 (Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/25/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-2932 affects Oracle Knowledge products within the Information Manager Console component, specifically impacting versions 8.6.0 through 8.6.3. This represents a significant availability risk that stems from insufficient input validation and authentication mechanisms within the web interface. The vulnerability manifests as a remote code execution flaw that allows unauthenticated attackers to exploit the system through standard HTTP connections, making it particularly dangerous for organizations that expose their knowledge management systems to external networks. The affected component operates as a console interface for managing knowledge content and system configurations, which provides attackers with a potential entry point into the broader knowledge management infrastructure.
This vulnerability operates through a specific technical flaw that involves improper handling of HTTP requests within the Information Manager Console, creating a path for attackers to trigger system instability. The flaw allows for a complete denial of service condition where successful exploitation can cause the application to hang or repeatedly crash, effectively rendering the knowledge management system unavailable to legitimate users. The CVSS 3.0 scoring of 5.9 reflects the moderate difficulty of exploitation combined with the high impact on system availability, with the vector indicating network-based access with high attack complexity and no required privileges. The vulnerability's classification aligns with CWE-20, which covers "Improper Input Validation," and represents a critical weakness in the application's request processing mechanisms that fail to properly sanitize user-supplied data.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple system downtime, as it can severely disrupt business processes that depend on knowledge management systems for information retrieval, documentation, and collaborative work environments. Organizations utilizing Oracle Knowledge for critical business functions face potential productivity losses and service degradation when this vulnerability is exploited, particularly in environments where the system serves as a central repository for organizational knowledge and documentation. The unauthenticated nature of the attack means that any network-connected system with the vulnerable Oracle Knowledge version is at risk, regardless of internal security controls or network segmentation measures that might otherwise protect against unauthorized access.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2020-2932 should focus on immediate patching of affected Oracle Knowledge installations, as Oracle has released security updates to address this specific vulnerability. Organizations should implement network segmentation to limit access to the Information Manager Console to trusted networks only, while also deploying web application firewalls to monitor and filter suspicious HTTP requests. The implementation of intrusion detection systems can help identify exploitation attempts by monitoring for patterns associated with this vulnerability, and regular security assessments should be conducted to ensure that all Oracle Knowledge components are updated to supported versions. Additionally, organizations should consider disabling unnecessary HTTP access to the console when possible, and establish monitoring procedures to detect system instability or unusual crash patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1499 for network denial of service attacks and T1190 for exploitation of vulnerabilities through web applications.