CVE-2021-35568 in PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools
Summary
by MITRE • 10/20/2021
Vulnerability in the PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools product of Oracle PeopleSoft (component: Rich Text Editor). Supported versions that are affected are 8.57, 8.58 and 8.59. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows unauthenticated attacker with network access via HTTP to compromise PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools. Successful attacks require human interaction from a person other than the attacker and while the vulnerability is in PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools, attacks may significantly impact additional products. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized update, insert or delete access to some of PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools accessible data as well as unauthorized read access to a subset of PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools accessible data. CVSS 3.1 Base Score 6.1 (Confidentiality and Integrity impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N).
If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/26/2021
This vulnerability resides within the Rich Text Editor component of Oracle PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools affecting versions 8.57, 8.58, and 8.59. The flaw represents a server-side request forgery vulnerability that allows unauthenticated attackers to exploit network-based HTTP connections without requiring any prior authentication credentials. The vulnerability's classification as easily exploitable indicates that attackers can leverage standard web protocols to initiate malicious requests against the target system. The CVSS score of 6.1 reflects moderate severity with particular emphasis on confidentiality and integrity impacts, though the absence of availability impact suggests the primary concern lies in data manipulation rather than system disruption.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of user-supplied input within the Rich Text Editor functionality. When users interact with the editor component, maliciously crafted requests can be processed in ways that bypass normal access controls and authorization mechanisms. The vulnerability requires human interaction from a person other than the attacker, indicating that the exploitation typically involves social engineering or phishing techniques where users unknowingly trigger the malicious payload through normal application usage patterns. This human interaction requirement aligns with attack patterns documented in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the Initial Access category, specifically targeting user interaction vectors.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond the immediate PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools environment to potentially affect additional products within the Oracle ecosystem. Attackers can achieve unauthorized update, insert, or delete operations against sensitive data within the PeopleTools accessible data set, while simultaneously gaining unauthorized read access to specific subsets of data. This dual impact on both confidentiality and integrity represents a significant concern for enterprise environments where PeopleSoft serves as a critical business application. The vulnerability's ability to compromise data consistency and integrity while potentially exposing sensitive information aligns with CWE-918, which describes server-side request forgery vulnerabilities that enable attackers to manipulate application behavior through crafted requests.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including network-level restrictions to limit access to the Rich Text Editor component, particularly when it is not essential for business operations. Regular patch management should be prioritized to ensure all affected versions receive the appropriate security updates from Oracle. Network segmentation and access control policies should be strengthened to minimize potential lateral movement if exploitation occurs. Additionally, monitoring should be enhanced to detect anomalous access patterns or unusual data modification activities that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability's characteristics suggest that traditional perimeter-based security measures alone may be insufficient, requiring more comprehensive security monitoring and incident response procedures to effectively detect and respond to potential exploitation attempts.