CVE-2021-2247 in Advanced Collections
Summary
by MITRE • 04/23/2021
Vulnerability in the Oracle Advanced Collections product of Oracle E-Business Suite (component: Admin). Supported versions that are affected are 12.1.1-12.1.3 and 12.2.3-12.2.10. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows low privileged attacker with network access via HTTP to compromise Oracle Advanced Collections. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized creation, deletion or modification access to critical data or all Oracle Advanced Collections accessible data as well as unauthorized access to critical data or complete access to all Oracle Advanced Collections 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 • 04/24/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2021-2247 represents a critical security flaw within Oracle Advanced Collections, a component of the Oracle E-Business Suite ecosystem. This vulnerability specifically affects administrative functions and exists in multiple version ranges including 12.1.1 through 12.1.3 and 12.2.3 through 12.2.10. The flaw manifests as an easily exploitable weakness that can be leveraged by low-privileged attackers who gain network access through HTTP protocols. The vulnerability's classification as CVSS 3.1 Base Score 8.1 indicates a high severity threat level, with both confidentiality and integrity impacts rated as high. The attack vector requires network access via HTTP, with low attack complexity and no user interaction requirements, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited without significant technical expertise. The vulnerability's impact extends to unauthorized modification of critical data and complete access to all Oracle Advanced Collections accessible data, potentially allowing attackers to perform unauthorized creation, deletion, or modification operations on sensitive information.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate access controls within the administrative component of Oracle Advanced Collections, creating a path for privilege escalation and unauthorized data manipulation. According to CWE (Common Weakness Enumeration) standards, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which addresses improper access control issues, and potentially CWE-276, concerning insecure default permissions. The flaw allows attackers to bypass normal authorization checks that should prevent low-privileged users from accessing administrative functions or modifying critical system data. The vulnerability's design flaw exists in how the system validates user permissions and handles administrative requests, creating a pathway for attackers to escalate privileges and gain unauthorized access to sensitive information. This type of vulnerability typically arises from insufficient input validation or improper privilege management within web applications, allowing malicious actors to exploit the system's trust model. The administrative component's failure to properly enforce access controls means that an attacker with minimal privileges can potentially execute administrative functions normally restricted to authorized personnel.
The operational impact of CVE-2021-2247 extends far beyond simple data theft, as it provides attackers with the capability to fundamentally alter the integrity and availability of business-critical collections data. Successful exploitation can result in unauthorized modifications to financial records, customer data, inventory information, and other sensitive business data that Oracle Advanced Collections manages. The potential for unauthorized data creation and deletion operations creates risks of data corruption, loss of business continuity, and disruption of critical business processes that rely on accurate collection management. Organizations using affected Oracle E-Business Suite versions face significant exposure to data breaches, regulatory compliance violations, and potential financial losses. The vulnerability's ability to provide complete access to all accessible data means that attackers could potentially compromise the entire collections database, affecting billing operations, customer management, and financial reporting systems. The impact is particularly severe because Oracle Advanced Collections typically handles sensitive financial information and business-critical data that organizations depend upon for daily operations.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations to address this vulnerability including applying the relevant Oracle Critical Patch Updates (CPU) that specifically address CVE-2021-2247. Network segmentation and access controls should be strengthened to limit HTTP access to only authorized administrative users and systems. Implementing additional authentication layers, such as multi-factor authentication for administrative functions, can help reduce the risk of exploitation. Regular monitoring of network traffic for unusual administrative access patterns and implementing intrusion detection systems can help identify potential exploitation attempts. Security configuration reviews should focus on ensuring that default administrative accounts are disabled or have strong passwords, and that access controls are properly configured to follow the principle of least privilege. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability relates to T1078 (Valid Accounts) and T1566 (Phishing) techniques, as attackers may use legitimate administrative credentials or exploit weak authentication to gain access. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls to filter malicious requests and monitor for exploitation attempts. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to verify the effectiveness of implemented controls and identify additional vulnerabilities in the Oracle E-Business Suite environment. The vulnerability's classification under CVSS 3.1 scoring system with high confidentiality and integrity impacts underscores the importance of immediate remediation to prevent potential data compromise and business disruption.