CVE-2021-2156 in Customers Online
Summary
by MITRE • 04/23/2021
Vulnerability in the Oracle Customers Online product of Oracle E-Business Suite (component: Customer Tab). Supported versions that are affected are 12.1.3 and 12.2.3-12.2.10. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows low privileged attacker with network access via HTTP to compromise Oracle Customers Online. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized creation, deletion or modification access to critical data or all Oracle Customers Online accessible data as well as unauthorized access to critical data or complete access to all Oracle Customers Online accessible data. CVSS 3.1 Base Score 8.1 (Confidentiality and Integrity impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.1/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 • 04/28/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2021-2156 represents a critical security flaw within Oracle E-Business Suite's Customers Online component, specifically affecting the Customer Tab functionality. This weakness exists in Oracle E-Business Suite versions 12.1.3 and 12.2.3 through 12.2.10, making it a widespread concern across multiple release branches. The vulnerability operates as an easily exploitable security flaw that can be leveraged by low-privileged attackers who gain network access through HTTP protocols. The nature of this vulnerability fundamentally compromises the integrity and confidentiality of customer data within the Oracle E-Business Suite environment, creating a significant risk for organizations relying on this platform for customer relationship management.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and access control mechanisms within the Customer Tab component of Oracle Customers Online. Attackers can exploit this weakness through HTTP network connections to perform unauthorized operations on customer data. The flaw allows for unauthorized creation, deletion, or modification of critical data within the system, potentially enabling complete access to all customer information that the vulnerable component can reach. This represents a severe authorization bypass vulnerability where the attacker can escalate privileges without proper authentication or authorization checks. The CVSS 3.1 scoring of 8.1 reflects the high severity of this vulnerability, with both confidentiality and integrity impacts rated as high, indicating that successful exploitation can result in substantial data compromise and modification capabilities.
The operational impact of CVE-2021-2156 extends beyond simple data theft to encompass complete system compromise of customer data within Oracle E-Business Suite environments. Organizations utilizing affected versions face potential exposure of sensitive customer information including personal details, financial data, and business relationship information that could be used for identity theft, financial fraud, or competitive intelligence gathering. The vulnerability's ease of exploitation means that even attackers with minimal privileges can potentially access critical business data, making it particularly dangerous for organizations where administrative privileges are not strictly controlled. This vulnerability directly impacts the core business operations of enterprises that depend on accurate customer data management and can lead to regulatory compliance violations, financial losses, and reputational damage.
Security mitigations for CVE-2021-2156 should prioritize immediate patch deployment from Oracle to address the underlying authorization bypass mechanism. Organizations should implement network segmentation to restrict access to Oracle E-Business Suite components and enforce strict firewall rules limiting HTTP access to authorized administrative networks. The implementation of additional access controls and monitoring should be enhanced to detect unauthorized access attempts to customer data. Security teams should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify all instances of affected Oracle E-Business Suite versions and establish continuous monitoring for exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 (Improper Access Control) and maps to ATT&CK technique T1078 (Valid Accounts) and T1566 (Phishing) as attackers may leverage this vulnerability to establish persistent access after initial exploitation. Organizations should also consider implementing data loss prevention controls and regular security audits to ensure the integrity of customer data within their Oracle environments.