CVE-2020-2949 in Coherence
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the Oracle Coherence product of Oracle Fusion Middleware (component: Caching, CacheStore, Invocation). Supported versions that are affected are 3.7.1.0, 12.1.3.0.0, 12.2.1.3.0 and 12.2.1.4.0. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows unauthenticated attacker with network access via HTTP to compromise Oracle Coherence. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized read access to a subset of Oracle Coherence accessible data. CVSS 3.0 Base Score 5.3 (Confidentiality impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/22/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-2949 represents a significant security weakness within Oracle Coherence, a distributed caching solution that forms part of Oracle Fusion Middleware. This issue affects multiple versions including 3.7.1.0, 12.1.3.0.0, 12.2.1.3.0, and 12.2.1.4.0, indicating a widespread exposure across the product lifecycle. The vulnerability resides within the caching, cache store, and invocation components of the system, which are fundamental to how data is managed and accessed in distributed environments. The CVSS base score of 5.3 reflects a medium severity level, with particular emphasis on confidentiality impacts that align with CWE-284, which deals with improper access control mechanisms in software systems. The attack vector is classified as network-based with low attack complexity and no privilege requirements, making it highly dangerous as it can be exploited by any unauthenticated attacker with network access to the affected system.
The technical flaw manifests through the lack of proper authentication and authorization controls within the HTTP interface of Oracle Coherence. This allows malicious actors to perform unauthorized read operations against cached data without requiring any valid credentials or access privileges. The vulnerability specifically impacts the confidentiality aspect of the CIA triad, enabling attackers to access sensitive data that should be restricted to authorized users only. The cache store functionality becomes particularly vulnerable as it handles data persistence and retrieval operations, while invocation components allow for remote procedure calls that can be exploited to access underlying cached information. The absence of authentication checks at the HTTP layer creates a direct pathway for data exfiltration, as demonstrated by the CVSS vector indicating network accessibility with low attack complexity and no user interaction requirements.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data exposure, as it can lead to significant information disclosure in enterprise environments that rely on Oracle Coherence for data management. Organizations utilizing affected versions may experience unauthorized access to sensitive business data, customer information, or proprietary system details that are cached within the Coherence infrastructure. The subset nature of the data access suggests that while not all cached information may be accessible, the vulnerability still allows for targeted attacks on specific data sets that could include personally identifiable information, financial data, or strategic business intelligence. This exposure can compromise business continuity, regulatory compliance, and competitive advantage, particularly in industries with strict data protection requirements such as finance, healthcare, or government sectors.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2020-2949 should prioritize immediate patching of affected Oracle Coherence versions to address the authentication bypass vulnerability. Organizations should implement network segmentation and firewall rules to restrict access to Coherence HTTP endpoints, particularly in production environments where the vulnerability could be exploited. The principle of least privilege should be enforced by configuring access controls to limit which systems can communicate with Coherence services, reducing the attack surface available to potential adversaries. Additionally, monitoring and logging should be enhanced to detect unauthorized access attempts to cache data, with security teams implementing intrusion detection systems that can identify suspicious patterns of access to the vulnerable components. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1071.004, which involves application layer protocol usage for command and control communications, and highlights the importance of network-based security controls in protecting distributed caching systems. Regular vulnerability assessments and security audits should be conducted to identify similar weaknesses in other middleware components that may present similar exposure risks, ensuring comprehensive protection against unauthorized data access across the entire enterprise infrastructure.