CVE-2021-2137 in Enterprise Manager Base Platform
Summary
by MITRE • 10/20/2021
Vulnerability in the Enterprise Manager Base Platform product of Oracle Enterprise Manager (component: Policy Framework). Supported versions that are affected are 13.4.0.0 and 13.5.0.0. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows low privileged attacker with network access via HTTP to compromise Enterprise Manager Base Platform. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in takeover of Enterprise Manager Base Platform. CVSS 3.1 Base Score 8.8 (Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/24/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2021-2137 represents a critical security flaw within Oracle Enterprise Manager's Base Platform, specifically within the Policy Framework component. This vulnerability affects versions 13.4.0.0 and 13.5.0.0 of the Enterprise Manager platform, making it a significant concern for organizations relying on this enterprise management solution. The flaw resides in the policy framework subsystem, which governs how security policies are enforced and managed within the enterprise environment. The vulnerability's classification as easily exploitable indicates that attackers can leverage relatively straightforward attack vectors to compromise the system.
The technical nature of this vulnerability allows a low privileged attacker to exploit it through network-based HTTP access, requiring minimal privileges to initiate the attack. This attack vector aligns with CWE-284, which deals with improper access control mechanisms, and represents a classic case of privilege escalation through network-based exploitation. The vulnerability's CVSS score of 8.8 reflects the high severity of its potential impact, with scores of 8.8 across confidentiality, integrity, and availability components. The attack requires low complexity (AC:L) and no user interaction (UI:N), making it particularly dangerous as it can be automated and executed without requiring user involvement or elevated privileges initially.
The operational impact of successful exploitation of CVE-2021-2137 is severe and potentially catastrophic for affected organizations. A successful attack results in complete takeover of the Enterprise Manager Base Platform, which serves as the central management console for enterprise environments. This compromise enables attackers to gain full administrative control over the platform, potentially allowing them to manipulate security policies, access sensitive configuration data, and control access to managed systems. The platform's role in enterprise security management means that such a compromise could lead to broader security breaches throughout the organization's infrastructure, as the platform typically manages and enforces security policies across multiple systems. The availability impact is particularly concerning given that the platform's compromise could lead to denial of service or complete system unavailability for legitimate administrators.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the relevant Oracle Critical Patch Updates (CPUs) to address the vulnerability in affected versions. Network segmentation and firewall rules should be implemented to restrict access to the Enterprise Manager Base Platform, particularly limiting HTTP access to trusted administrative networks. The principle of least privilege should be enforced, ensuring that only necessary personnel have access to the platform. Monitoring and logging should be enhanced to detect suspicious activities related to policy framework access, as outlined in ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and T1566 for credential harvesting. Additionally, organizations should conduct comprehensive security assessments of their Enterprise Manager deployments to identify any potential unauthorized access or modifications that may have occurred prior to implementing patches. The vulnerability's nature as a policy framework flaw also necessitates careful review of existing security policies and enforcement mechanisms to ensure that compromised systems cannot be used to bypass other security controls within the enterprise environment.