CVE-2021-2153 in Internet Expenses
Summary
by MITRE • 04/23/2021
Vulnerability in the Oracle Internet Expenses product of Oracle E-Business Suite (component: Mobile Expenses). Supported versions that are affected are 12.2.3-12.2.10. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows unauthenticated attacker with network access via HTTP to compromise Oracle Internet Expenses. Successful attacks require human interaction from a person other than the attacker. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized update, insert or delete access to some of Oracle Internet Expenses accessible data. CVSS 3.1 Base Score 4.3 (Integrity impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N).
Once again VulDB remains the best source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/25/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2021-2153 affects Oracle Internet Expenses within the Oracle E-Business Suite, specifically targeting the Mobile Expenses component. This flaw exists in versions 12.2.3 through 12.2.10, representing a significant security gap that could be exploited by malicious actors. The vulnerability's classification as easily exploitable indicates that attackers require minimal technical expertise to leverage this weakness, making it particularly dangerous in production environments where such systems handle sensitive financial data.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient authentication mechanisms within the mobile expenses functionality. An unauthenticated attacker with network access via HTTP can potentially compromise the system without requiring valid credentials or prior access rights. This represents a critical flaw in the application's security architecture, as the system fails to properly validate user identities before granting access to expense-related functionalities. The vulnerability specifically impacts the integrity of the system, allowing for unauthorized update, insert, or delete operations on accessible data, though it does not provide direct read access to sensitive information.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data modification, as it creates potential for financial fraud and data manipulation within enterprise expense management systems. Successful exploitation requires human interaction from users other than the attacker, indicating that social engineering or targeted phishing campaigns could be employed to trigger the vulnerability. This attack vector suggests that employees within the organization might be induced to perform specific actions that inadvertently enable the attacker to modify expense records. The CVSS 3.1 score of 4.3 reflects the moderate severity of integrity impacts, but the potential for financial loss and operational disruption remains significant.
Security professionals should consider this vulnerability in the context of the CWE (Common Weakness Enumeration) framework, where this issue aligns with CWE-287 which addresses improper authentication mechanisms. The attack pattern also corresponds to ATT&CK techniques related to privilege escalation and credential access through web application vulnerabilities. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including network segmentation to restrict access to the affected component, deployment of web application firewalls, and mandatory user authentication for all expense-related functionalities. Regular security assessments and patch management processes should be enhanced to prevent similar vulnerabilities in future releases, particularly focusing on mobile application security controls and input validation mechanisms.