CVE-2021-35585 in Incentive Compensation
Summary
by MITRE • 10/20/2021
Vulnerability in the Oracle Incentive Compensation product of Oracle E-Business Suite (component: User Interface). Supported versions that are affected are 12.1.1-12.1.3. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows low privileged attacker with network access via HTTP to compromise Oracle Incentive Compensation. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized creation, deletion or modification access to critical data or all Oracle Incentive Compensation accessible data as well as unauthorized access to critical data or complete access to all Oracle Incentive Compensation 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 • 10/24/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2021-35585 represents a critical security flaw within Oracle Incentive Compensation, a component of the Oracle E-Business Suite ecosystem. This weakness specifically resides in the User Interface component of the application and affects versions 12.1.1 through 12.1.3, making it particularly concerning for organizations running these older releases. The vulnerability operates under the Common Weakness Enumeration framework as a weakness related to insufficient input validation, specifically categorized under CWE-20, which deals with improper input validation. The attack vector is accessible via HTTP network connections, requiring minimal privileges from an attacker who can leverage this weakness to gain unauthorized access to sensitive business compensation data.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate validation of user inputs within the application's web interface, allowing malicious actors to manipulate the system through crafted HTTP requests. This flaw enables what security professionals classify as a privilege escalation scenario, where low-privileged attackers can exploit the system to achieve unauthorized data manipulation capabilities. The vulnerability's classification under the ATT&CK framework aligns with techniques involving web application attacks and credential access, specifically targeting the application layer where user interface components process external inputs. The CVSS 3.1 scoring system rates this vulnerability as highly critical with a base score of 8.1, indicating significant impact across both confidentiality and integrity metrics while maintaining a relatively low attack complexity.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data access, as successful exploitation can result in unauthorized modification, deletion, or creation of critical compensation data within the Oracle Incentive Compensation system. This represents a severe risk to organizations that rely on accurate and secure handling of employee incentive programs, as attackers could manipulate compensation calculations, alter payment records, or access sensitive employee financial information. The potential for complete data compromise means that organizations may face significant financial losses, regulatory compliance issues, and reputational damage. The vulnerability's ability to affect all accessible data within the system creates a substantial risk for data integrity and confidentiality, particularly when considering that incentive compensation data often contains sensitive personal and financial information.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including applying the relevant Oracle security patches, which would address the underlying input validation issues within the affected versions. Network segmentation and access controls should be strengthened to limit exposure of the vulnerable application to untrusted networks. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect anomalous HTTP traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Regular vulnerability assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar weaknesses in other components of the Oracle E-Business Suite. Additionally, implementing web application firewalls and input validation controls at the application level can provide additional defense-in-depth measures against exploitation attempts. The vulnerability's characteristics make it particularly attractive to attackers who might target organizations with outdated Oracle E-Business Suite installations, emphasizing the importance of timely patch management and comprehensive security hygiene practices across all enterprise applications.