CVE-2022-21359 in PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools
Summary
by MITRE • 01/19/2022
Vulnerability in the PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools product of Oracle PeopleSoft (component: Optimization Framework). 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).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/25/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-21359 resides within the PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools product, specifically within the Optimization Framework component of Oracle's PeopleSoft suite. This flaw affects versions 8.57, 8.58, and 8.59, representing a significant security concern for organizations utilizing these enterprise applications. The vulnerability's classification as easily exploitable indicates that attackers can leverage network-based HTTP access without requiring authentication credentials, making it particularly dangerous in environments where network exposure is common. The CVSS 3.1 base score of 6.1 reflects moderate severity with impacts to both confidentiality and integrity, while the vector analysis reveals network accessibility with low attack complexity and requiring only user interaction from someone other than the attacker.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient access controls within the Optimization Framework component, allowing unauthorized actors to perform data manipulation operations through HTTP requests. Attackers can achieve unauthorized update, insert, or delete operations against specific data sets accessible through PeopleTools, while also gaining read access to sensitive information within the system. The requirement for human interaction suggests that exploitation typically involves social engineering or user-specific actions that facilitate the attack, though the underlying flaw itself creates a persistent security weakness. This vulnerability operates within the broader context of web application security flaws that often relate to improper input validation and access control mechanisms, aligning with CWE-285 (Improper Authorization) and CWE-352 (Cross-Site Request Forgery) classifications.
The operational impact of CVE-2022-21359 extends beyond the immediate PeopleTools environment, potentially affecting additional Oracle products that may share underlying components or communication protocols. Organizations utilizing PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools face risks of data integrity compromise, where unauthorized modifications could corrupt business processes or financial records, alongside confidentiality breaches that expose sensitive organizational data. The vulnerability's potential for cascading effects means that successful exploitation could undermine the trustworthiness of the entire PeopleSoft ecosystem, affecting payroll processing, financial reporting, and other critical business functions. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 (Valid Accounts) and T1566 (Phishing) as attackers may leverage this vulnerability to establish persistent access or manipulate user interactions to facilitate further compromise.
Mitigation strategies should prioritize immediate patch deployment from Oracle to address the root cause within the Optimization Framework component. Organizations should implement network segmentation to limit access to PeopleTools environments and establish robust monitoring for unusual HTTP traffic patterns or unauthorized data access attempts. Additional controls include enforcing strict access controls for PeopleTools administrative functions, implementing application firewalls to filter malicious HTTP requests, and conducting regular security assessments of the PeopleSoft environment. The vulnerability's characteristics suggest that organizations should also review their user interaction protocols and implement additional verification steps for critical data operations. Security teams should consider implementing automated alerting for unauthorized data modification attempts and establish incident response procedures specifically addressing PeopleSoft-related security incidents. Regular vulnerability assessments and penetration testing of PeopleSoft environments can help identify similar weaknesses that may exist within the broader Oracle PeopleSoft ecosystem, ensuring comprehensive protection against related threats.