CVE-2021-35601 in PeopleSoft Enterprise CS SA Integration Pack
Summary
by MITRE • 10/20/2021
Vulnerability in the PeopleSoft Enterprise CS SA Integration Pack product of Oracle PeopleSoft (component: Students Administration). Supported versions that are affected are 9.0 and 9.2. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows low privileged attacker with access to the physical communication segment attached to the hardware where the PeopleSoft Enterprise CS SA Integration Pack executes to compromise PeopleSoft Enterprise CS SA Integration Pack. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized access to critical data or complete access to all PeopleSoft Enterprise CS SA Integration Pack accessible data. CVSS 3.1 Base Score 5.7 (Confidentiality impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/26/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2021-35601 resides within Oracle PeopleSoft Enterprise CS SA Integration Pack, specifically affecting the Students Administration component. This security flaw impacts versions 9.0 and 9.2 of the software, representing a significant concern for organizations utilizing PeopleSoft platforms for their student administration processes. The vulnerability's classification as easily exploitable indicates that attackers with minimal technical expertise can leverage this weakness, particularly when they have physical access to the communication segment connected to the hardware executing the integration pack.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient access controls and authentication mechanisms within the PeopleSoft integration environment. Attackers with low privilege access to the physical network segment can exploit this weakness to gain unauthorized access to sensitive student data and administrative information. The vulnerability's attack vector requires local physical access to the communication segment, which aligns with the CVSS 3.1 vector AV:A indicating adjacent network access. This means an attacker positioned on the same physical network segment as the target system can potentially compromise the integration pack without requiring remote network access or extensive technical knowledge.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data exposure, as it can lead to complete compromise of all accessible data within the PeopleSoft Enterprise CS SA Integration Pack. Organizations utilizing this system for student administration face potential breaches of sensitive personal information, academic records, and other confidential data that may be stored or processed through this component. The CVSS base score of 5.7 reflects the significant confidentiality impact, with the potential for high-level data compromise represented by the C:H rating in the CVSS vector. This vulnerability particularly affects educational institutions that rely heavily on PeopleSoft for their administrative operations, as student data breaches can result in severe regulatory compliance issues under various data protection frameworks.
The security implications of CVE-2021-35601 align with CWE-284, which addresses improper access control vulnerabilities in software systems. This weakness represents a classic case of insufficient privilege checks and authentication mechanisms, allowing attackers to escalate their access privileges through physical network access. Organizations should consider implementing network segmentation strategies to limit physical access to critical systems, as well as deploying network monitoring solutions to detect unauthorized access attempts. The vulnerability's characteristics also make it relevant to ATT&CK technique T1046, which involves network service scanning and access enumeration. Security teams should ensure that physical security controls are maintained alongside traditional cybersecurity measures to protect against this type of attack vector.
Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing robust network access controls and physical security measures to prevent unauthorized access to the communication segments hosting PeopleSoft systems. Organizations should consider deploying network access control lists, implementing secure network segmentation, and ensuring that only authorized personnel have physical access to network infrastructure. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify similar weaknesses in the broader PeopleSoft environment. Additionally, maintaining up-to-date patches and security configurations for all PeopleSoft components will help reduce the attack surface. The implementation of intrusion detection systems and network monitoring solutions can provide early warning of potential exploitation attempts, while regular security awareness training for system administrators can help prevent social engineering attacks that might lead to unauthorized physical access to network segments.