CVE-2022-21497 in Web Services Manager
Summary
by MITRE • 04/20/2022
Vulnerability in the Oracle Web Services Manager product of Oracle Fusion Middleware (component: Web Services Security). Supported versions that are affected are 12.2.1.3.0 and 12.2.1.4.0. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows unauthenticated attacker with network access via HTTP to compromise Oracle Web Services Manager. Successful attacks require human interaction from a person other than the attacker. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized creation, deletion or modification access to critical data or all Oracle Web Services Manager accessible data as well as unauthorized access to critical data or complete access to all Oracle Web Services Manager accessible data. CVSS 3.1 Base Score 8.1 (Confidentiality and Integrity impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/25/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-21497 represents a critical security flaw within Oracle Web Services Manager, a component of Oracle Fusion Middleware that handles web services security operations. This vulnerability specifically affects versions 12.2.1.3.0 and 12.2.1.4.0, making them susceptible to exploitation by unauthenticated attackers who can access the system through HTTP network connections. The flaw falls under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-284, which deals with improper access control mechanisms, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078.004 for valid accounts and T1190 for exploit public-facing application, demonstrating how this vulnerability can be leveraged to establish unauthorized access to sensitive web services infrastructure.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate authentication and authorization controls within the web services security framework, allowing attackers to bypass normal access restrictions without requiring valid credentials. The CVSS 3.1 score of 8.1 indicates a high severity level with significant impacts to both confidentiality and integrity, as attackers can potentially create, delete, or modify critical data within the Oracle Web Services Manager environment. The vulnerability requires human interaction from users other than the attacker, suggesting that the exploit may involve social engineering elements or require specific user actions that facilitate the attack vector. This characteristic places the vulnerability within the ATT&CK framework's T1203 category for Exploitation for Credential Access, where attackers may leverage the compromised system to gain additional access privileges.
From an operational standpoint, successful exploitation of CVE-2022-21497 can result in catastrophic consequences for organizations relying on Oracle Web Services Manager for critical business operations. The unauthorized access capabilities extend to complete access to all data accessible through the web services manager, potentially exposing sensitive enterprise information, financial records, customer data, and proprietary business information. The vulnerability's network-based attack vector means that attackers can potentially exploit this flaw from remote locations without requiring physical access to the network infrastructure. Organizations using affected versions face significant risk of data breaches, regulatory compliance violations, and operational disruption that could affect business continuity and customer trust. The impact on system integrity means that attackers could modify critical web services configurations, potentially disrupting business processes or creating backdoors for future exploitation.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2022-21497 should include immediate patching of affected Oracle Web Services Manager versions to the latest supported releases that contain security fixes for this vulnerability. Organizations should also implement network-level controls including firewall rules that restrict access to web services manager components, particularly limiting HTTP access to trusted networks and implementing robust authentication mechanisms. The mitigation approach should follow ATT&CK framework's T1566 for Phishing and T1078 for Valid Accounts, by strengthening user education and access control policies. Additional defensive measures include monitoring network traffic for suspicious HTTP requests, implementing intrusion detection systems that can identify exploitation attempts, and establishing regular security assessments to verify that access controls remain properly configured. Organizations should also consider implementing zero trust network access models that verify all connections regardless of their source, ensuring that even internal network traffic is properly authenticated and authorized before accessing sensitive web services infrastructure.